Only in Dreams
by Chibi Nataku
Summary: COMPLETE! CH 14! Yuber must have had something happen in his life to make him as he is. There must a reason why he ticks the way he does....Please Read and Review
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: In no way do I claim any rights to the characters of the Suikoden series. I do not own them, nor did I have any hand in creating them. Please don't sue as I don't have any money and just want to write a fanfic.  
  
Only in Dreams  
  
By: Chibi Nataku  
  
Prologue  
  
A childhood long dead, mere memories in a shattered mind that is now so full of hate that to declare one self a demon was easier than facing the fact that once, so long ago he had a human side. He had tried to place blame early on, but soon, all the blame melted away into nothingness, just like he once had. Only in dreams did the past rear its brutal head, but the dreams had faded over the long years of murder, hate, and brutality. Yet, nothing he did could make him forget the past, forget the feeling of frality and helplessness, forget Mia....  
  
In dreams she was always there, smiling and beckoning him to give chase like he had every time. She embodied a time when there was not hate, only hurt and misunderstanding. She was his will to live, the key to innocence. Yet, only in dreams did she now live and sometimes he hated those dreams, wanting to forget altogether what had once been his life. From his dreams, he would be happy and innocent, childishly carrying on despite the war.  
  
Still, the end was always the same in his dreams, Mia lying in a pool of her own blood, reaching a desperate hand towards him, begging. In his hand, the bloodied sword that cut her down, a cold cruel smirk forever etched in his soft features. He felt the rain washing away the blood, the memory, the feeling of innocence. He had transcended his humanity, a thought that had once held a sort of sick comfort.  
  
He remembered watching her take gulping breaths, bending to examine the wound more closely. He ran a finger through the wound, watching intently as she struggled against his touch as pain overtook her features. He had dropped his blade and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to sit upright again, their gazes meeting only briefly before he placed a hand on each of her wet cheeks and snapped her neck brutally, letting the lifeless body fall back to the rain and blood soaked ground as it would.  
  
For what seemed like hours, he stared into those dead green eyes, vaguely wondering if he should keep one for his travels. It was funny that he felt no remorse for his actions, but he knew that he felt cold and probably not because of the rain. To him, it felt like a part of himself dying with her, but the soft voice whispered a tune in his mind, comforting him with it presence. Perhaps it was right when it said that everyone in his life had abandoned him, his family, his village, and now Mia....  
  
It was somewhat humorous to think that his best friend would be the first person that he ever killed. In the back of his mind, memories whispered and clawed their way to the surface of his mind, only to be forced back by the comforting voice. Mia was his first kill, but he was sure that she would not be his last.  
  
He would make sure of that....  
  
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I was a bit disappointed with the start of this fic, but I am hoping that it will get better as I write more. This is my first attempt at a fanfic so I thank everyone who took the time to read it. 


	2. Still Just a Dream

Disclaimer: In no way do I claim any rights to the characters of the Suikoden series. I do not own them, nor did I have any hand in creating. Please don't sue as I don't have any money and just want to write a fanfic.  
  
Only in Dreams  
  
By: Chibi Nataku  
  
Chapter 1 - Still Just a Dream  
  
He felt sick, bile rising in his throat until he had no choice but the vomit, fingers clentching in the soft blood-soaked earth. He heaved violently, his shoulder shaking as he desperately tried to gain control of his body. Eventually, he managed to sit back and rub his mouth with the back of his hand, his gaze moving around his burning village.  
  
Bodies littered the ground, some mutilated, others dismembered in more ways than he thought was possible. Blood spattered all over the ground, the burning houses, his own clothing from lying unconscious in the mud. The fresh smell of death invaded his entire being, the sight bringing a new batch of tears to wash away the mud and blood from his face. Insects buzzed around the bodies, birds circling overhead, every bit aware of the killing as he was. His village had been butchered in the night.  
  
Slowly, he climbed to shaky feet and stumbled towards his farm, holding his mouth to prevent more attempts to vomit. The stench of burning flesh and dead live-stock nearly made him pass out again, but he forced himself onwards to home, to see if any of his family had survived the massecre. He slowed his dogged pace to a halt as his barn and house came into view and nearly ran in the other direction, knowing that his brother and three sisters were dead along with his parents. He forced himself to approach, more out of respect of them rather than curiosity. Slipping inbetween the broken boards of the leaning fence, he took careful steps towards his home.  
  
He stopped and sniffled when he came across his older brother's body, head removed completely from his shoulders. The expression on his face was shocked, but surprisingly peaceful. Beside his brother was his youngest sister, Anna, who had obviously been protected by his brother as she walked with a difficult limp thanks to breaking her foot only weeks back. His sister had been stabbed repeatedly in the back as she fell and lay cuddled against his brother, probably slipping off into death after he fell beside her. She looked much more disturbed, her blue eyes open and glazed over, haunted.  
  
He turned away and wiped tears from his face, walking towards his house slowly. He stopped and swallowed hard at the sight of his father's dismembered body leaning against his favourite climbing tree, sword not too far away from his hands. His father knew little of using a blade, but was prepared to protect his family even at the cost of his own life. It was quite obvious, even to his young eyes, that the soldiers had taken their time to inflict pain upon his father right up to the moment he died. Not only had his father been dismembered, but also gutted, his stomach, intestines and other organs thrown about as if in an animalistic ritual. He forced himself to look away and continue walking to the broken down door of his home.  
  
Peering in cautiously, he knew that he paled considerably. More blood than he had ever seen in his entire life was smeered all over the walls, splayed over the floor and furniture, probably even leeking through the creaking floor boards. Nearest to him was his eldest sister, Liza, body naked and ravished. Blood covered her chest from her slit throat and her expression still held the horror of memories of the experience she had been forced to endure.  
  
Next to Liza, only a few feet away, was his mother who was in equal condition to his elderest sister. Unlike Liza, his mother's expression still held the dignity that she always wore, and her expression was peaceful aside from the smeered blood on the left side of her face thanks to the gash in her hairline.  
  
Walking around the kitchen, beneath an overturned table, he found Diana curled in a small ball. Like his mother and sister, she too had been ravished by the soldiers, but unlike the rest of his family, she was in good condition. No wound marred her silky flesh aside from the stab wound that had killed her, a wound that went straight through her heart. Even the blood from the wound had been cleaned away and her hair was still neatly tied back in the blue ribbon that she always had it in. Whoever had done this to Diana took his time and made sure to be gentle with her. Still, he couldn't help but feel disturbed as her unseeing gaze stared off across the house, never to see him again.  
  
Sickened, he ran from the house, wishing that the war would take his life just like everyone else, but no, he had been spared and the soldiers gone. He knew the only reason that he was still alive was not his own doing, having been running a high fever for three days and put in the cellar beneath the main barn where it was cooler. His fever had broken only an hour after the screams started, but he was much too afraid to climb the ladder to find out what was going on. So, he waited and prayed, only emerging from the cellar when the sun rose and the screams has ceased completely as well as the loud shouting voices. Now, he wished that he had never come out.  
  
Looking around, he knew what he had to do. With all the effort he could muster, he placed his entire family in the house and set it ablaze, looking into the flames for a long as he could bear it. He then started away, running as fast as his legs could carry him, away from his dead family, from his village, from his life. He ran until the sweat burned his eyes and his legs gave out on him, leaving him in a crying heap at the side of the road, weakened by his illness and distaught over his loss. How long he lay there he didn't know, but it seemed like an eternity.  
  
Eventually, he remembered crawling off of the side of the road to sleep beneath a tree, but little of the night was clear to him. He merely lay and listened to some passing travellers and the silence of the night. Sleep came to him in small pieces, and he woke dizzy, hungry, and still exhausted.  
  
He stumbled down to a nearby stream and drank some water deeply before forcing himself to wash the blood and dirt from his face, hands and hair. The face that stared back at him in the reflection of the water made him look away. He dunked his head into the cold water and did his best to turn his hair back to the straw blonde that it normally was. He tossed the wet locks over his shoulder and turned away, shrieking in utter shock at the sight of a smiling face from a tree, watching him.  
  
The girl hopped from her perch in the tree, sweeping her long ebony locks of hair back over her shoulder. She smiled pleasantly at the fearful blonde, blinking emerald green eyes innocently. Standing to her full height, she dusted off her clothing and smoothed out the wrinkles that came with a long night of sleep in a giant oak tree. Slowly, she approached the terrified boy, reaching out a tanned hand to aid him back to his feet. When he refused to take her hand, she smiled and croutched to get a better look at him. "Was it you who was crying last night?" Slowly, the boy nodded at her. "What do they call you at home? I'm Mia, a war orphan. Judging by your appearance, I would say that you are one to. Am I right?"  
  
"M...Mia?" He played over the name several times before gathering enough mind to answer her questions. "My parents called me..." He looked away, saddened with the fact that he would never again be called his name with his sweet mother's voice. "Yuber, that's my name. Soldiers attacked my village and killed everyone...I'm all alone." He rubbed his blue eyes, hoping to deter the tears from coming again.  
  
Mia smiled warmly and swept the little blonde into her arms, holding his trembling shoulders. "It's alright, Yuber. You aren't alone so long as Mia is around! I'll take care of you." She smiled when confused blue eyes looked up at her. "That's right! We're going to be war orphans together. How does that sound to you? I'll be your big sister from now on!"  
  
Yuber looked up at Mia in confusion before opening his mouth. "But..." He blinked when his mouth was covered, and he was hugged again, giving in the affection that seemed to make the burden easier to bear.  
  
Mia released her hold on the little blonde and smiled, forcing him an arms distance away from her. She quirked an eyebrow before nodding to herself. "Right, first things first, take off those bloody clothes and we'll get you some new ones. You need a bath." She started to tug off the dirty clothing, throwing it off the lie with her bag of small items. She laughed when Yuber blushed when she had him down nude before shoving the poor dirty boy into the frigid stream, ignoring the undignified squawks and little struggles Yuber made to climb back out again. She easily overpowered the blonde and scrubbed his skin and hair clean of blood and dirt, amazed at the beautiful colour of hair that he had. She let him sit shivering on the rocks while she wandered to her bag and pulled out her only spar pair of trousers and loose shirt. She laughed when he grabbed them and jumped into them faster than anyone she had ever seen. Certainly, the grey trousers were loose, but managed to cling to his hips and the shirt...well, she would be sure to get him one that fit better when they hit the next town.  
  
Yuber rubbed his shoulders, trying to warm his cold skin and stop his shivers. He looked over his shoulder when Mia started to brush his locks of blonde hair, smoothing out any tangle more gently than any of his sister managed to do. He relaxed against the touch, forcing the memories of the previous day to the back on his mind. He was unsure if he could do anything but follow Mia, who seemed to know what she was doing. Perhaps he would stay with her until he got back on his feet and managed to grab an apprenticeship with someone.  
  
"Yuber, how old are you?" Mia asked softly, as her fingers worked to braid the golden locks together, using the tie on her own hair to keep the braid from unwinding.  
  
Yuber sighed and held out his hand, counting the number of summers on his fingers. "Six years old, now." He looked over his shoulder at the smiling girl. "What about you? How old are you, Mia?"  
  
She smiled and patted Yuber on the top of the head as she stood. "I'm ten. I was orphaned when I was your age and have been on my own ever since."  
  
"So you have no family either?" Yuber inquired softly, looking at his hands.  
  
"I have no parents and my only other family is missing." Mia grinned at the blonde's confused expression, blue eyes blinking rapidly in an attempt to comphrend. "I had a younger brother, but since the war, I haven't been able to find him. Now that I think about it, you look a lot like him...well, kind of. You remind me of him a lot."  
  
Yuber cocked his head to the side, blinking again. "Really? What's his name? Maybe I know him!"  
  
Mia smiled as she tugged Yuber to his feet and gathered up her things, leaving the blonde's old clothing for someone else to find. She beckoned him to follow and passed him a side-ways glance. Yuber certainly did look a lot like her younger sibling, mostly their faces. "My brother was called Pesmerga, but I haven't seem him in three years."  
  
"Maybe we should look for him, then." Yuber stopped walking and looked up at Mia. "I don't want to go back to my village. People always said things when I was around, strange things that made me cry."  
  
Mia also stopped and turned to regard the blonde fully. "What kind of things, Yuber?"  
  
Yuber looked away, feeling ashamed that he was telling a girl he had only just met about his village. He felt deep trust in Mia already and wanted her to understand him. "They said that I was a child that had no parents. They said that I was born from the ground."  
  
To Be Continued....  
  
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Comments and questions, please. This is my first fanfic so I would like some constructive critism about it. I will hopefully be putting up a new chapter soon so I hope that all of you who read it will come back and read the next part when it is up. Thank you to everyone that took the time to read my fanfic. 


	3. Let Dreams Go On

Disclaimer: In no way do I claim any rights to the characters of the Suikoden series. I do not own them, nor did I have any hand in creating them. Please don't sue as I don't have any money and just want to write a fanfic.  
  
Only in Dreams  
  
By: Chibi Nataku  
  
Chapter 2 - Let Dreams Go On  
  
Mia cocked her head to the side, throughly confused. She gaze Yuber a good look-over before finally shrugging her shoulders and smiling warmly. "I have heard of worst. My father used to tell Pesmerga that he fell from the sky when he was angry. It's just something that people say to make gossip all the more juicy so don't you once think for one second that you are different. Just ignore what those people said. They are dead, and you survived so you have the last say."  
  
Yuber forced a smile on his face as Mia turned away and nodded to himself. He had survived and everyone in his village had died so he was still a good boy. He trotted after the ebony-haired girl, smiling as the sun came out from behind the cloud cover, and he suddenly felt that he was walking away from his old life of being teased and whispered about to a new life where the road would lead down so many paths. Only Mia knew his little secret, and she didn't seem to care in the least what had transpired in his village.  
  
He turned and grinned at Mia, brushing golden locks from his face. "Hey Mia, where are we going to go?"  
  
Mia laughed at Yuber's sudden eagerness to be off and forget the pain of lossing everything. She knew that it would be difficult for him to deal with, but she wanted to help Yuber out; she had an inkling that his path would be an exciting one to travel, a feeling that she had often gotten with her real brother. Thinking about it, the feeling she got from Yuber was almost exactly to the one that she had gotten from Pesmerga. She shook her head and patted the blonde on the shoulder. "It doesn't matter. We will go where our feet lead us, down the paths that our destinies want us to go. Everything is going to be great!"  
  
Yuber grinned as Mia suddenly took up a run and beckoned him to follow her with a hand outstretched in his direction. Laughing, he gave chase, enjoying the wind on his face, blowing the loose strands of hair from his face. He gave himself to that run entirely; he was in a completely new life, and though he would not forget about his last one, he knew that he would enjoy this one more fully. As long as Mia helped him out, he knew that things would work out.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Hey Yuber, give me a hand, will you?" Mia called over her shoulder at the blonde, smiling when he was immediately at her side relieving some of the boxes from her arms. She put the other boxes down and dusted off her clothing, smoothing her dress back into place before turning to fully regard her friend. "Put those over in that corner, Yuber. That's fine. Thank you, blondy." Blondy, her affectionate term for Yuber, one that had just come up and never left after she used it the first time.  
  
The years had gone by so quickly now that she really thought about it. She was now twenty-four and Yuber twenty. She had been surprised how much they had got along over the years, quickly bonding together into the best of friends. She had been proud when Yuber had stopped having nightmares about the massecre in his village, though she missed having to cuddle him back to sleep again. As he had grown, she managed to use her knowledge of the road to get him sword training with mercenaries who were travelling; she was surprised how quickly he managed to take the skill up. She had taught him to cook over a fire, mend clothing, how to read and write, and get small amounts of work from people in the villages. He had quickly developed polite manners and their long walks down dusty paths and playful fighting as well as sword practice had strengthened his body.  
  
When he turned twelve years old, she bought him his first rune with all the money she had, a lightning rune. He cherished the gift and learned to use it so quickly that he beat her with rune use, but he never teased her about it. She loved her water rune, and he seemed very content with his lightning rune. They would often practise together trying to figure out how to get new spells from each rune, both failing quite miserbly. When the sat under the stars and talked about new ways to get more power from their runes, she would tell him the story of the Sword and the Shield as she had been told. Every night for three years, it was always the same:  
  
In the beginning, there was "darkness."  
  
Then, the "darkness" shed a "tear."  
  
From that "tear," the brothers Sword and Shield were born.  
  
Shield claimed it could defend against any attack.   
  
Sword claimed it could slice through anything.  
  
The brothers began a legendary battle.   
  
At the end, both Sword and Shield shattered.  
  
Sword became the sky, Shield became the earth, and the sparks from the battle became the  
  
stars.   
  
As for the jewels, they fell to the ground and became the True Runes--The runes that all other runes were born from.  
  
She smiled at the memories of her story and remembered how Yuber, no matter how many times he heard the tale, would sit in silence, entranced with the stars. Sometime she wondered what he thought about in his silence with a gaze so distant, but never dared ask him. He was very open with her when he had a problem and she with him so nothing between them ever stayed hidden.  
  
She had watched him turn from a scrawny ill-proportioned little boy to a strong, handsome young man. His golden locks of hair now reached to his backside, flowing as they would in a summer's breeze. His once deep blue eyes had lightened to more of a sky blue, but never had they lost the luster of youth and maturity. He was a few inches taller than her now, having filled out into the body of young man with skin that was lightly tanned from walking and working beneath the sun. He wore grey breeches with knee-high black leather boots. At her insistance, he wore a blue long-sleeved collared shirt beneath a black leather jerkin. He kept a long sword at his hip, not the most beautiful weapon, but it suited his purpose. To say that he was merely handsome was quite an understatement as all of the women in village seemed to woo without him even saying a word.  
  
"Mia?" Yuber quirked a golden eyebrow when Mia finally broke from whatever thought that she had been engrossed in. He smiled and ruffled her hair fondly when their gazes met. "Are we planning on staying overnight here? If so, we had better go and find some accomidation. I personally don't want to sleep in the rain again."  
  
Mia smiled at the blonde. "But you looked so cute all ruppled in the morning with your hair sticking out at all angles." She giggled when Yuber threw her a mock glare and stuck his tongue out at her. "Well, maybe you are right. Let's go find an inn to stay at. I think we have enough money."  
  
Yuber watched Mia searched through her pouches, his gaze looking her over. She had grown into a lovely woman, though he had a bit of trouble understanding why she didn't settle down with a nice young man and start a family. Her long ebony black hair hung down to her knees and was usually kept in control by the confines of a braid. Her green eyes had lost one of the splender over the years, always expressive and caring. She had grown a bit over the years, but not as much as he had. However, she had remained a lithe, danty woman that was extremely well-proportioned for her size and had hidden strength. She wore either loose dresses that expressed her curves or confined herself to dark trousers and a loose shirt. Still, he had to stop staring at her sometimes with his jaw open to not draw attention to the fact that his liking for her was beyond normal friendship. For her, he was just her little brother.  
  
Still, the pain from his past seemed to fade over the years, but had never really been forgotten as much as he would have liked. He no longer dreamed of finding his family lying in their own blood, but the images were always there if he thought about it too much. Also, the rumor of his birth had always bothered him, no matter how many times Mia convinced him that children cannot be born from the ground. Something in that rumor felt right, that it was more than just a rumor, that his path would lead him to find out the truth about himself someday. Still, until that day came, he would be happy to travel with Mia, still in search of her long lost brother, Pesmerga. He had never met the boy, but he felt as if he knew him as well as he knew Mia, especially when he would stare up at the stars. The stars held secrets, some that he wanted to know, but could not bring himself to reaching out to them to grasp at the information. He was afraid to be alone still, despite being twenty.  
  
"Now looks who is daydreaming! Yuber, you are staring at my chest, stop it!" Mia said jokingly, bursting into undignified laughter when the blonde looked around and turned a strange shade of red. She wrapped him in a fond hug and patted him on the back. "Oh, you are too cute. Come on, let's get settled into the inn."  
  
Yuber nodded stupidly and followed obediently like a scolded puppy. He didn't mean to stare at Mia, but when he attempted to look at his feet, her chest was right there! Still, he felt very stupid being caught in such a bad position. He wandered after Mia, watching her braid swing back and forth until they entered the inn, now standing off to the side to allow his female friend to do the negociating, as she was so good at.  
  
While standing silently in a corner, he got the distinct feeling that he was being watched and glanced around. Aside from Mia and the innkeeper, no one was around so he was left in a bit of confusion before glancing out the window. Again, he could detect no sign from any of the people doing business that they were watching him so he forced himself to relax. It was probably just him thinking about past ghosts again.  
  
Mia thanked the innkeeper and turned to regard Yuber, cocking her head to the side as she found his eyes moving around the room suspiciously. "Yuber, is something wrong?" Not many things got passed the blonde's guard and if he was not feeling right, something was obviously attracting his attention.  
  
Yuber shifted his gaze to Mia before smiling and shaking his head. "Nah, it's probably nothing. I'm just being paranoid again."  
  
"Well, glad to know you're feeling alright. Do you want to go to our room or over to the tavern to eat?" Mia lifted her pack onto her shoulder, smiling warmly as Yuber considered his options. He always took time making decisions, even for something simple.  
  
"I could eat. Let's check out the tavern." Yuber finally replied after a few minutes of contemplation, reaching over to take Mia's pack from her. "You're supposed to act all pretty, and I'm supposed to lug everything around, not the other way around." He pulled the pack from her shoulder easily and slug it over his own.  
  
Mia giggled and patted Yuber on the chest. "I don't know about that. You might look pretty good in a dress." She laughed at the blonde's panicked look and sudden restlessness. She had ways of putting stray comments into action, and Yuber knew it. Still, she smiled pleasantly and walked from the inn, glancing over her shoulder to find the blonde at her elbow, glaring at her. "Not tonight, blondy. Maybe some other time."  
  
Relief didn't exactly flood his expression, but he was glad to be spared the humilation for at least one night. Just as he walked halfway between the tavern and the inn, his vision sudden darkened, and he felt like he was about to vomit. He felt to one knee, wrapping an arm around his griggling stomach and felt a cold sweat spring onto his skin. He felt like he was about the black out, his vision tunnelling and his hearing gone completely deaf.  
  
Suddenly, he was standing in the middle of the village as he had before, except every house was on fire and bodies littered the ground, all killed in a brutal fashion. He could smell and hear nothing, but his vision was enough to make his stomach chern and memories of past atrocities explode forward in his mind. He shook his head and closed his eyes tight, refusing to look any longer.  
  
He really didn't know why he opened his eyes again, but his vision was filled with a cloaked figure. He took a step back as he noted the blooded blades in each hand, reaching for his own sword only to find it missing. The figure shook back the blood-stained cloak to reveal the face of a young woman with empty orbs that should be eyes, no emotion playing across her face aside from the very cruel smirk set on her lips. Blood spattered her face, and when their gazes met, he watched as her mouth moved, spilling out words that he could not hear nor understand simply by looking at her lips. The woman lifted her right blade at him, beckoning him forward, but he refused to budge, which seemed to anger her, but she made no movement to advance towards him. Again, she spoke words that he could not hear, this time releasing her hold on the blade in her hand and again, beckoned him forward. Still, he refused to budge, much too confused and ill to even think about taking a step. He took a step back when she scowled and started towards him, blade raised....  
  
"Yuber!"  
  
  
  
A sudden familiar voice jolted him back to himself and all feelings of nausia left him. He shook his head, rubbing his eyes before looking around to find Mia supporting him with an extremely worried look on her face. He really couldn't explain what had happened, nor did he really want it explained to him, but he remembered very clearly the cruel smirk and dead eyes of the woman. He reached over and patted Mia on the hand before making any attempt to stand. He looked around to find many villagers gathered to make sure that he was alright. Slowly, he nodded at each of them and turned to regard Mia. "S-Sorry, I felt suddenly very ill...maybe we should stay in our room tonight."  
  
Mia nodded silently and wrapped an arm around Yuber's waist, helping him back to the inn. She watched the colour slowly return to his cheeks as they walked, relief that he was alright settling her fears. He had been feeling ill more than she liked to admit lately.  
  
She helped him to sit on the bed when they reached their room, removing the packs from his shoulders and placing them on the floor. She silently pulled off his boots and removed his jerkin and long-sleeved shirt as he sat in a daze on his own. This was the not the first time that this had happened, but Yuber never explained what happened or even what caused it. She doubted that even he knew. Gently, she pushed him back to lie on his back. "Get some rest. You look quite pale. I will bring you some food later tonight." He only passed her an exhausted apologetic look before drifting off into sleep.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Yuber woke to the familiar smell of fire and slowly opened his eyes. He took in his surroundings groggily, sitting up with some trouble thanks to the fact that Mia had fallen asleep half on top of him. Still, even half-asleep, he knew that there was trouble so he gently shook the older girl awake, motioning silently that she needed to gather her things and leave quickly. He watched as Mia did as she was told, throwing their to packs over her shoulders.  
  
Mia looked back at Yuber as the blonde strapped on his sword, moving to the door. She could smell the smoke and just glancing outside told her that most of the village was ablaze. For her, the memories of her own families demise whispered, but she feared that Yuber may become upset. Still, he looked calm to her eyes, which was all she could use currently. She stopped at the door when Yuber made no motion that he was following her. "Yuber, what are you doing? We need to get out of here."  
  
"Mia, get out of town and quickly. Head for that huge pine that we slept under before we came here. I'll meet you there when I check out what is going on." Yuber gestured at towards the door, a silent order for Mia to leave.  
  
"Stop trying to be a hero, Yuber. We can run away together. It will be okay if we go together. Please, come with me." Mia pleaded in as soft a voice as she could muster, beckoning the blonde to follow her, but he only shook his head, his stubbornness showing that he was not about to leave. She looked away and nodded. "Okay, but if you don't come to the pine, I'm coming back for you, Yuber. You can't leave, not now, not like this."  
  
"I know...please go, Mia, before it is too late. I can handle myself here." Yuber watched Mia nod and slip from the room, walking over to the window to look around the burning village, his gaze following the ebony-haired woman as she ran out of the village, quickly lost in the intense smoke and flames. When he was sure that Mia had escaped, he made his own decent of the stairs, his gaze moving suspiciously around. Everyone but he and Mia had been butchered as far as he could tell which set him on edge.  
  
Slipping from the inn, he walked to the middle of the road, the exact place that he had nearly blacked out only hours before. His gaze scanned the area, an exact replica of the images he saw with the cloaked woman except now he could hear the cries of the dying, smell the death and burning flesh. Everything was the same and again he felt bile rise in his throat, but he refused to close his eyes this time. He waited, allowing raw survival instinct to drive him.  
  
To his left, a shadow moved, and he turned to face it, eyes narrowing as it disappeared completely before he could get a good look. Next, the moving shadow was to his right then behind him, but now he was very aware of mocking, cold laughter along with the movements. "...I'm being hunted...how quaint." Before he could be cornered anymore, despite the openness of the area, he turned and took off on the path, bolting with all his strength to move swiftly. He knew beyond a doubt that he was being persued, could smell death itself chasing at his heels, but he refused to look back.  
  
He grunted in pain as what appeared to be the hilt of a sword smash into the back of his head, throwing his balance off and sending him head-over-heels to the ground, coughing vainly as the air left his lungs. He lay weezing on his back, mind screaming to get back to his feet, but his body refused to listen to his commands. He quickly found himself staring up at a coldly smirking face as it came into view from behind him, same hollow, unemotional orbs staring into his own.  
  
When the woman's sword did not finish him, and she just stared calmly down at him, he forced himself back to his feet slowly, turning to regard her fully. He met her gaze equally. "You put me in that dream a few hours ago." He grabbed the hilt of his long sword when she started to chuckle and looked around at her handy-work.  
  
"Not me, boy. This." She held up her right hand to him, and scowled when he only shot her a questionable glance. "My, the Rune sure can pick the stupid ones." It was his turned to scowl, but he did not answer, which seemed to indicate that she should continue to explain herself. "This is a rune, little boy, and it wants a new master...or perhaps a new puppet, but whatever. It doesn't matter to me so hold up your right hand, and we will get this done." She gestured what he was supposed to do.  
  
Yuber cocked his head the side before shaking his head. "Sorry, little girl." For the first time, he saw emotion play across her face, eyes flashing dangerously. "I already have a rune so you can keep that one. Mine suits me just fine, and that one...well, it gets you to do fine work. I doubt that this is the first time you've done something like this." He scrambled to unsheathe his blade went she raised her blooded sword, then stopped in mid-swing before finally just dropping the entire attack altogether.  
  
"This isn't the first time, nor is it the first time you've seen such death. Too bad I admit to myself the atrocities that I commit and don't hide behind illusions of my own mind." She smirked at him cruelly. "The Rune won't let me kill you for refusing, but I have ways of getting things done. Either you take this Rune, or I hunt down the girl you travel with. I suggest you take my very fair offer because it is the only one you are going to get, boy." SHe put enfice on the last word, indicting that she had lived too long to not have her own way.  
  
Yuber looked away in desperation, not wanting to sacrifice Mia for his own selfishness. Reluctantly, he nodded and raised his right hand while she just laughed at his dilemma. He watched her place her right palm against his, and he nearly pulled away at a intense pain burning its way in his palm then up his wrist then up his arm. THere was a bright light and he flew back, falling to the ground before looking to his right palm to figure out what he had just gotten himself into.  
  
Something grabbed his brain and before he knew it, he was on his feet again, staring at the cloaked woman who reached out and stroked his cheek with soft fingers, appendeges that no longer seemed capable of mass-murder. "It is time to end it, Yuber." Even before he himself managed to figure out what she was asking him, he raised his sword and with speed and strength he never knew that he had, brought the blade down, slashing from shoulder to hip, easily cutting her heart in two. He remembered seeing her smiling as she fell, but the horror of his own actions made him recoil and drop his blade.  
  
He stared down at the body before suddenly jerking from his own shock as a voice echoed in his mind, one that made him look to the new Rune in his hand.  
  
'Welcome to my nightmare, boy. It is time that you woke up to what you really are....'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Okies, kind of longish, but I really wanted to get the part where Yuber got his most favourite of Runes, the Eightfold True Rune. Comments, questions, suggestions are always welcome so don't be afraid. I enjoy knowing where I could improve.  
  
I can guarentee that the storyline will speed up now that he has the Rune and the fun should be beginning in the third chapter. Thanks to everyone reading. I hope that you are all enjoying it. 


	4. From Nightmares Back to Dreams

Disclaimer: In no way do I claim any rights to the characters of the Suikoden series. I do not own them, nor did I have any hand in creating them. Please don't sue as I don't have any money and just want to write a fanfic.  
  
Only in Dreams  
  
By: Chibi Nataku  
  
Author's Note: Speech that starts with ' instead of " means mental talking. If a conversation is going on between Yuber and the Rune, it is purely in his mind, and assume that no one else is aware of the conversation, but can see any emotion that is displayed openly by the Rune-bearer.  
  
Chapter 3 - From Nightmares back to Dreams  
  
Yuber looked around the burning village and suddenly fell to one knee, his strength and energy leaving him. He struggled to resist the pull of the Rune which was attempting to drag him into his own mind where he knew that it would have more control. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, his vision slowly darkened, and he felt himself falling forward to the ground. He was vaguely aware that it had started to rain, but he had no energy to pull himself up and under some shelter, eventually surrendering to the new Rune.  
  
In the darkness he came aware once more, but he knew that he was not alone in his mind. As he sat up, his gaze moved to a web nearby, and the huge black spider that was watching him. It was strange that the web was designed in an Eightfold flower and a symbol much the same was on the back on the spider which was slowly moving towards him. He felt eight eyes on him and scrambled back when he found the spider too close for comfort, eventually being forced to stop when webbing shot up from what could have been considered the ground and grabbed his wrists, legs, and neck. He glared at the eight eyes that were watching him and struggled to break the hold of the webbing.  
  
'I have been searching for you, boy. You have managed to escape me more times than you are even aware of, but luckily, I had a good past puppet who resolved herself to tracking you down for me. Now, you are mine for awhile.' The giant spider chuckled to itself and gestured in the air with a leg, an image of his burning village conjuring itself inbetween them. The spider watched his memory of the event before chuckling again, this time a sly, silky laugh. 'Nevermind them, boy. The sweet smell of their blood must have excited you to continue...I am slightly impressed. Even at such a young age, you were more dangerous than they gave you credit for. Truly a piece of work. I can't wait to try you out for myself.'  
  
Yuber pulled hard on the webbing, glaring at the spider in front of him. 'What the hell are you? I've heard of no Rune that can do these things!'  
  
The spider took a few steps closer, now within easy reach of the blonde's legs. 'I am your teacher from now on, boy. You may know me as the Eightfold Rune, but I am very much in control here so don't try anything stupid. Besides, I have all the answers to your questions, even those that you are not yet aware of. It would be best if you found out who you really are. You are more than what you think you have become.'  
  
Yuber growled angrily and wished he could get free, grunting as the webbing began to cut into his flesh at his struggles. 'I don't care what you think you can accomplish, but I want nothing to do with the atrocities that you made that woman commit! I only need one person in my life, and that is Mia! I won't commit murder for you!'  
  
'You already have, boy. You bathed in the blood of the innocent even before I came along so you are just as blood-thirsty as Miku was.' The spider chuckled and grabbed the blonde's left ankle while gesturing in the air with another arm, forming an image between it and Yuber. 'I shall show you what you have hidden from yourself, boy.'  
  
'I don't want to see your lies!' Yuber screamed, forcing distance between him and the spider with sheer mental stubbornness, smirking when he seemed far away and the webbing that covered him fell away. He stood and dusted off his clothes, proud of his accomplishment. He knew little of the True Runes aside from their existance, but he wanted to be rid of the one that had tried to snare him.  
  
He could suddenly hear screaming, vague and distant, however, it became increasingly loud as the seconds passed by until it sounded like it was right beside him. Looking down, he took a step away as a younger form of himself knelt screaming in anguish, blood covering his clothing, just like on that day so long ago. It became clear that he was back to the end of his innocence, the smell of recent death as clear as it had been those years back, but something seemed so different, like he was suddenly remembering something new about his surroundings.  
  
His family still lay in their various forms of death and the soldiers that attacked had only recently left, and he had only now managed to crawl from his coverings beneath the barn. He was suddenly the boy again, suddenly filled with the past, the pain, the cold, the utter terror of being alone.  
  
He climbed to his feet and began running, this time into town, to find comfort in the people that had watched him grow up and would certainly offer some aid. The rock path seemed so long beneath his short legs, but as he approached, he could see that most of the villagers had gathered on the edge of town, now watching him struggle towards them. He stopped a few yards away, wiping some of his tears, unsure of what he was supposed to say to them. He was confused when they started to whisper amoungst themselves, odd thoughts of why he should have died along with his family or figures that he comes covered in mud. He found no comfort in their stares and rude glances.  
  
When the village elder told him to be on his way out of the village and to never return because this would not be the first time that he would find himself hunted, he felt betrayed. These people were the only one's that he knew; they should feel for him as he had lost everything. The more that they gestured in the direction that he should go, the more he started to shake and not from the cool breeze of the evening. He looked at his mud-soaked shoes, swallowed the lump in his throat and suddenly wished that his village was as dead as his family.  
  
Something seemed to click. He felt something within himself and took a step back, watching his body as it exploded with deafening energy, the villagers all so horrified. He could only watch in slight bewilderment and follow along with his body as he flew into action with such intensity that he was left speechless. He remained in silent wonder as he grabbed a machete and charged into the village, his body illuminated with a strange light. Every attack that fell on his body bounced away, but his attacks were with such animalistic ferocity and full of anger and hate that no one lived pasted his first attack. The villagers screamed and ran from him, but everytime he caught them, and he killed each and everyone of them until nothing was left but the light from his own body.  
  
He stood silent, watching his own body as it heaved with exertion. He walked around and looked into his own face that was covered with the blood of the villagers, but the eyes were intense. Where blue eyes once were, now golden eyes with red rims stared out into the night, and he listened as it began to rain. He became aware of his own laughter, haunting and heavy, much to deep to be the voice of a child. A strange symbol appeared on his forehead, one that was mostly covered with soaked golden bangs and abstructed from view aside from the glow.  
  
Then, just as suddenly as the symbol appeared, the light faded along with his laughter. The hateful golden eyes shifted briefly from blue back to gold then returned to the cobalt blue that he was used to seeing on himself. His eyes seemed very empty, the light leaving them as he collasped to the ground, face down in the mud. He felt himself being dragged back to his body and idly wondered why he was not drowning in the puddle of mud that he was lying in. And so blissful darkness took him...  
  
Yuber jerked and let out a straggled cry, falling back, his eyes refocusing ahead of him into the darkness of his own mind. He shook his head and noted the sweat that covered his skin, somewhat out of breath. He could not remember taking any action against his village, but, he remembered little of how he had gotten to lying in the mud before returning home. Something about those images felt disturbingly right, but he shook his head again, not willing to believe that he could do such things.  
  
Another cry, this one more surprised, left his throat as four legs wrapped around his body, one around his neck, two around his waist, and another still grabbing his right arm. He struggled to break the hold of the spider, but it had a very good strong hold on him. Eventually, he gave up and sat quietly in the clutches of the Rune.  
  
'Don't fight me, boy.' The spider whispered in his right ear.  
  
'I have a name, you know!' Yuber shot back, angered with his capture once more.  
  
The spider chuckled and stroked his right arm almost lovingly. 'I am very aware of your name and its meaning.' It used one of its free legs to gesture around at the shadows. 'You were named for the shadow that you were brought screaming into the world from. Too bad none of your adoptive parents knew just what they were getting themselves into when they placed such a fitting name upon your head.' It tightened its hold on the blonde until Yuber let out a small cry of protest. 'Born from the ground, from the shadows of the planet were you knew nothing of your own existance aside from the fact that you were not a true child. You have questioned your existance ever since that day where you burned their bodies.'  
  
Yuber closed his eyes, letting out a breath very slowly. 'If you know so much, tell me why my family was tortured and murdered?'  
  
'How adorable. When you have questions, you are a very talkative boy.' The spider chuckled when an angered glance was shot back at it from Yuber. 'Very well, if only to get you to trust me a little more, I will tell you. She knew you were in the area, in that family to be exact. She wanted to see what you could do so she arranged their death, but she left in frustration when you did not appear before her. Too bad, she missed the show.' It let the blonde go when Yuber shifted to turn fully, now staring at each other. 'She wants you, boy. She has been hunting you for a very long time, and she is very close now so be prepared. You must be in control when she arrives.'  
  
Yuber cocked his head the side, allowing blonde bangs to partially obstruct his face, shadow covering the other half. He was quite confused now. 'Who is this she?'  
  
'Another bearer of a True Rune. She is coming for you.' The spider replied and turned away, setting to make a web for itself, working quickly to weave the strands to its liking. 'She is part of the reason that you exist, boy.'  
  
Yuber watched silently as the essence of the Rune built a web, entraced with the moving silken fibers together. He waited until the spider turned back to regard him. 'What of Mia? I don't want her dragged into this mess.'  
  
It was the spider's turn to cock its head as much as possible to one side before somewhat nodding and moving back to the safety of its web. 'Such things have already been determined. Her fate is entwined in yours, and her death shall bring about the greatest changes of all.'  
  
Before he could stop himself, Yuber lept forward and grabbed the spider roughly, dragging it from the web with strength he was only becoming aware of. 'No! I won't let her die! She...'  
  
'She what?' The spider ripped itself from the blonde's grasp, rubbing the wounded appendages with two of its other legs, glaring at Yuber. 'You are still just a human right now so you fail to understand the strings of fate. There are elements that are beyond your perceptions.'  
  
'Who will kill her? I'll track them down first and make sure that it doesn't happen. Tell me who will end her life!' Yuber reached for the spider again when it just stared at him silently, growling when it moved out of range. 'Tell me!'  
  
'I will not endanger you just yet. Right now, you should be concerned with travelling down the path set out for you, which is why I'm here. Go back to the world of the living, boy. You will hear my whispers every now and then, I guarentee that. We will do great things, you and I.' The spider moved back to its web and settled in, all eight eyes set on the blonde across from it. 'You shall be trained from now on.'  
  
Yuber was about to question what kind of training he would endure, but was unable to as he was repelled back into the darkness, only a small surprised cry echoing in his place. Yet, quickly the darkness released its hold on him and he was back in the village, except now soaking wet thanks to the rain that was still coming down.  
  
Slowly, he climbed back to shaky feet and looked around. Most of the flames had died down, but the bodies were no less dead. He took his leave of the village, determined to get to Mia as quickly as possible. He found himself more swift, stronger, more aware of the atmosphere around him, and it felt strangely good. Things he would not have noticed before were suddenly as clear as the sun on a cloudless afternoon. Even the feel of the rain on his skin felt so much more alive since the Eightfold Rune...  
  
He stopped running and looked down at his right hand, examining the symbol on his palm. He wondered what powers the Rune carried as a stray thought. More predominant in his mind was what he was supposed to tell Mia. Perhaps he would keep the True Rune to himself for a little while until he fully figured things out. He needed time to think, but little was given to him as he senses picked up the familar presense of Mia.  
  
"Yuber! Oh, thank the Runes! You are alright! I was so worried about you!" Mia stopped just before she was about to embrace her friend, noting the mud that caked onto his clothing, skin, and hair. She looked up into his eyes and nearly fell to the ground at the strange light that was behind his normal essence. Something was different about him, but the only words that she could come with was completely off the topic. "What the hell happened to you? You're a mess!"  
  
Yuber chuckled as innocently as possible, shrugging his shoulders. "Yeah...I dirtied that shirt that you made me wear. I...fell while I was running away. It's really slippery in all this mud." He dared not wrap his friend in a hug because of the dirt that covered him. He merely smiled down at her, hoping to ease her worry.  
  
Mia reached up and aided the rain in washing away some of the mud on Yuber's face, smiling warmly. "Might I suggest we get you somewhere to dry off."  
  
Yuber nodded silently and glanced back over his shoulder at the tops of the houses, one of the only features that could still be seen of the village. Slowly, he turned back and started walking after Mia, picking his way through the mud to walk alongside her. 'Hmm, we are not the only ones hunting this night, boy. Be on your toes for she must not find you yet. You are not ready for her plans.' He nearly fell over when the voice whispered in the back of his mind, and he was certain that Mia knew that something was up as he stumbled. 'Don't talk to me when Mia's around!' He scolded back, pushing back the voice before it could reply to him.  
  
"Yuber...are you alright?" Mia grabbed the blonde's arm, one of the only parts of him that wasn't covered in mud, hugging the appendage tightly. "Please don't be hurt. I don't know what I'd do if you went away."   
  
"Mia..." Yuber smiled and let a finger trail down the dark-haired girls cheek, leaving a smeer of blood and mud. He was unprepared for the Rune serging in his mind. 'For whatever God's sake, tell the woman you love her, you stupid boy!' Before he could think about it, the words shot from his mouth. "I love you!" He practically shouted them out and was more shocked when he suddenly bent and kissed Mia before she could reply.  
  
Mia was shocked. The blonde had never been the type to blurt things out suddenly, and his lack of knowledge in the love department was quite obvious. Still, she had to smile at his courageous effort and readily gave in to his embrace. Yuber was the reason she never settled down; he had always wanted to travel, and she had just wanted to be with him. She completely ignored the rain and moved closer to his body, slipping in against him.  
  
If this were another dream, Yuber never wanted to wake up ever again. He wanted the moment to last for as long as possible. It felt so right to be with Mia, despite the rain. Still, he knew that it would have to end as he was quickly running out of breath, reluctantly pulling away, now panting softly. "Sorry...I shouldn't have...now you're all dirty too..."  
  
Mia looked down at her dress to find it now sharing some of the mud that Yuber had been wearing and smiled at him. "It doesn't matter. I have other clothing." She knew that she was blushing and made an attempt to fix her hair back into some sort of semblance from what it had been. She walked after the blonde when he started moving again, smiling when his left hand shot out and grabbed her hand, a quick glance from his blue eyes to make sure that she was not angry with his assumptions. She followed him in silence, content with the world.  
  
Yuber had no idea what he was doing, but seemed to follow along after his instincts. He found the pine that they had slept under a few nights before, along with their packs. He managed to release his hold on Mia and set to making a small fire, if only to dry off their clothing. 'Not here, boy. Go east.' He stopped and stood, looking to the east. Sighing, he nodded to himself and picked up the packs, looking back at Mia. "It's not safe so close to town. Follow me."  
  
Without waiting for a reply, he started walking at a brisk pace, certain that Mia would follow him. He picked his way through the brush and trees quickly, wanting to get out of the rain as it had started to come down harder than before. He moved almost silently, his footfalls not making any sound on the forest floor, and he eventually spied a cave closeby, motioning to Mia the new destination. She nodded silently at him and wandered at her own pace towards it.  
  
Mia stepped into the blessed dry space of the cave a few minutes after Yuber, smiling as he had already removed his jerkin and silk shirt. She watched as he worked on making a fire, moving towards the packs to pull out their blankets which had thankfully stayed more dry than some of their clothing. She took to laying out their wet clothing near the small fire and their blankets into the driest spots of the small cave, where only touches of the fire's light danced over the thick wool. She removed her shoes and dress, sitting down near the fire to work on removing as much of the mud as possible. Without looking up, she was aware of the blonde's gaze on her, but she remained steady at the task she was performing.  
  
Yuber forced himself to sit on the stone floor and removed his boots, noting the water tha poured from them and shook his head. Much like Mia, he took to removing the mud that caked his clothing and boots. He became so engrossed in the activity that he nearly jumped to his feet when a cold wet cloth pressed against his cheek, his gaze shooting to where Mia was kneeling. He smiled and went back to cleaning his equipment as she cleaned his appearance, cleaning away mud and blood from his face and even taking to removing the tangles from his blonde hair. He was about as clean as most of his equipment without a proper wash, but it was good enough to make him more comfortable.  
  
He felt his gaze travel back to Mia as she set to work on her own locks of ebony hair. "Mia...I want to apologize for back on the road. I wasn't thinking, but I just want you to know that what I said, as undignified as it was at the time, is how I feel. I hope that I haven't put you into a bad spot."  
  
Mia looked at Yuber as she worked out the knots in her hair, his gaze back with the light she was familiar with. "Yuber, you haven't done anything wrong. You told me how you felt, and I can't hold such things against you." She smiled warmly when he nodded and went back to prodding the small fire. "Did you ever wonder why I never married?"  
  
"Always." Yuber leafed through his pack for the rest of the wood that he kept stored in case of heavy rainfall. "I thought for sure that you and Grim were together for the longest time, well, until he died."  
  
Mia laughed softly and shook her head. "No, Grim and I were only friends. I liked someone else entirely."  
  
Yuber glanced back at Mia, puzzled. "You did? How come you never told me who he was? I'd have to harass him before you started anything."  
  
"I doubt you would do a good job harassing yourself, Yuber." Mia kept her eyes on the offending knot in her hair even after the wood hit the cave floor with a small thud. She bearly held in a laugh when Yuber just stared at her, completely dumbfounded. She released her hold on her long hair and brushed it over her shoulders before beckoning the blonde closer. "Come here, Yuber. Still as blind as ever. I suppose I didn't do a very good job teaching you the ways of love."  
  
Yuber slowly climbed to his feet and padded over to Mia, looking down at her before glancing around the cave. He eventually looked back at her as she climbed to her feet. He looked down as she grabbed his wrist and pulled him over to their blankets, glancing down at her in slight confusion, yet she said nothing to him. He knew almost nothing about the manners of love-making, never thought that he would ever fall in love.  
  
Mia smiled and stroked Yuber's cheek. She wrapped him in a loving embrace, resting her cheek against his strong chest, listening to his heart beat; it was beginning to race. She smiled and ran gentle fingers up his sides, causing a small shiver from him. Looking up at him, she met his warm lips equally, falling back to the blankets with him...  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
wipes sweat from her brow Wow, that chapter is finally done. It took four tries to get it right, but now I will move on! Forward, I must! Well, now that Mia and Yuber are a couple, things will get a bit easier...I hope. Still, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'm hoping the next one will be up sooner than this one, but I fear to make promises on that. 


	5. Drowning in Dreams

Disclaimer: In no way do I claim any rights to the characters of the Suikoden series. I do not own them, nor did I have any hand in creating them. Please don't sue as I don't have any money and just want to write a fanfic.  
  
Only in Dreams  
  
By: Chibi Nataku  
  
Author's Note: Speech that starts with ' instead of " means mental talking. If a conversation is going on between Yuber and the Rune, it is purely in his mind, and assume that no one else is aware of the conversation, but can see any emotion that is displayed openly by the Rune-bearer.  
  
Chapter 4: Drowning in Dreams  
  
Yuber stared fondly down that the naked body cuddled against his own, running a hand up and down Mia's back gently. He felt all inner torment at rest for once, no memories of the past, or the possible futures, just content with his current state. Mia was his world for now, something that felt very good, and he planned to enjoy it for as long as possible.  
  
Sadly, the rain had stopped sometime in the night, and the small fire was now only ash and smoke. The sun was occationally peeking out from the clouds and the air smelled fresh, not full of smoke and death from the village that was still not too far from them. Today, they would travel away, he knew, but a shadow in the back of his mind knew that they would not be alone on the road. He could feel that something drew near on his path, something that was so familiar to him yet all the same, he could put no identity to the figure that traced his steps.  
  
He looked back down at Mia, slowly closing his eyes as he forced himself to lie on his side once more. Her skin was much warmer than his own, so much more alive under his stroking fingers. He felt a smile pull at his features and allowed it, pulling Mia closer to him. "Mine. No man shall lay a hand on her but me. I will be sure of that." The smile twisted into a cruel, cold smirk. He would remove any man that lay even an accidental hand on his lover, of course, when Mia was unaware of it. He knew she would scold him for placing so much of himself in front of her as protection, but he would enjoy ripping any man limb from limb for Mia.  
  
In his mind, the Eightfold Rune chuckled and seemed to clap four pairs of arms together, moving forward in his consciousness. 'Very good, my boy. You must protect what is yours and remove any obstacle that prevents your happiness with her. I will help you.' An undertone of deviousness travelled along the silky voice, but Yuber ignored it, too intent on watching Mia as she slept. After a few minutes of silence between them, the Rune spoke once more. 'Boy, we should go and hunt for food. A good mate provides for his woman, don't you agree?'  
  
Yuber cocked his head to one side, blowing away stray locks of golden bangs from his face before sitting up fully. 'You are right. Let's go kill something.'  
  
'Oh, I simply love it when you say things like that.' The Rune's voice was full of elation and seemed to pat him on his head, a wicked gleam in its red eyes. 'Let's find something that struggles for life as we squeeze its last breath from empty lungs...'  
  
Yuber climbed to his feet in one swift motion, prowling through the shadows towards his clothing. He picked up dark articles of clothing, slipping into them silently before moving to his pack, pulling out a few arrows and his bow. He glanced back at Mia, smirking before leaving into the damp morning, moving without sound through the forest, unfeeling of the bite of cold against the bare parts of his flesh. His senses directed him, slipping in and out of the shadows until he found what he was looking for, his gaze set upon a grazing hare.  
  
Smirking, he prepared his bow and took aim. He fired and lept for the animal as soon as his arrow made contact with flesh, grabbing the struggling hare and holding it down, pulling out his boot knife in a swift motion and slitting the animal's throat to lessen its pain. Nodding, to himself, he sat up when the struggles ceased, wiping blonde bangs from his face. He looked down at the hare and smiled, proud of his kill, though he could hear grumbling in the back of his mind. 'What's wrong with you?'  
  
The Rune moved forward when offered by Yuber. 'I have some work to do on you, boy.'  
  
'What's that supposed to mean? I'm getting food for Mia.' Yuber questioned, almost innocently. He did not completely understand what he had done that was so wrong. He had hunted many times before in the same fashion, and it always seemed to work out well for them.  
  
'It means, you silly human, that you should have killed it with your bare hands. I doubt you understand the feeling of a creature's life force leaving every muscle as you choke it, feel its futile struggles, listen to its pitiful pleas for life. Just look at that creature!' The spider took control of Yuber and forced his gaze on the rabbit before releasing the blonde once more. 'Look at those dead eyes! So peaceful, so sickening! Death should not lead to pleasure, boy!'  
  
Yuber raised his eyes from the hare, looking around the forest around him. It was so quiet, so peaceful. 'But...'  
  
The Eightfold Rune surged angrily. 'There are no 'but's in the life and death struggle of creatures! The strong survive and the weak die! You are strong, and that pitiful creature was weak so you killed it.' The Rune grabbed hold of Yuber once more, forcing a confused gaze back on the dead creature. 'You have to make creatures weaker than you wallow in their own pitifulness. You must make them feel their own weakness! You must...!' The Rune slowly withdrew its hold, its voice softening. 'No worries, boy. We will train and then pick up the loose ends.'  
  
Yuber quirked an eyebrow and again, looked around the forest, listening to every sound that he could hear. He climbed back to his feet, bow in one hand and dead hare in the other. Slowly, he picked his way back to the cave where Mia was probably still sleeping.  
  
On his way, he stopped and lifted his feet, trying to figure out why he made no sound even when he wanted to. When he could find nothing different with his boots, he found a stick and stepped on it, waiting for the familiar crack of wood and was slightly troubled when he received none despite the fact that the stick did break under his weight. Undetered that there had to be a reason for this, he set his things aside and looked at a nearby tree, swinging up easily onto one of the branches. He picked his way along one that seemed particularly weak and grabbed a steady branch above him; he lifted his weight with his arms and let go, letting out one of the most undignified noises when he lost his footing on the slippery branch he intended to break and went crashing into a bush. He came to the quick conclussion that his back made lots of noise when hitting the ground.  
  
He lay in a humiliated heap, listening to his True Rune laughing so hard it overtook most of his senses. Muttering to himself, he managed to pick himself up gracefully and walk back to his equipment, bending to gather the rabbit and arrows before he finally noticed that the birds had stopped singing completely. Standing slowly, his gaze moved around the forest, picking out every detail that he could. When he could find nothing to match the reason for his tension, he back towards the cave, somewhat wishing he had his blade with him. Still, nothing caught his eye.  
  
Eventually, he found the entrance of the cave and ducked inside, moving to the fire, all the while occationally glancing over one shoulder. He rekindled the flames and set to skinning the hare, setting it up for cooking. He felt his Rune inching forward, obviously investigating his activities. 'What are you doing, boy?'  
  
'I'm cooking the rabbit.' Was his simple reply, continuing with his work.  
  
'Why would you ruin the meat?' The Eightfold Rune asked, this time less carefully.  
  
Yuber rolled his eyes. 'Because it tastes better when you cook meat.'  
  
The Eightfold Rune shuddered and moved more forward, grabbing some of Yuber's consciousness. 'Just tell me right now, boy. Are you afraid of the sight of blood? If you are...Well...it's time to take a bath. I refuse to be on your hand if you don't like blood.'  
  
'I don't mind blood.' Yuber shrugged his shoulders and sat back, watching the flames dance over the cooking flesh.  
  
'But...you bath in it, right?' The Rune asked almost hopefully.  
  
Yuber shoved the Rune's question away and refused to answer, looking to the blankets as Mia rose from slumber. He moved over to her and wrapped her in a warm embrace, kissing her forehead. "I'm making some breakfast."  
  
Mia twisted in Yuber's grasp and wrapped her own arms around his waist, snuggling against him. She looked up into his face and placed a kiss on his smooth chin, smiling warmly. "What you are making, blondy?"  
  
"I went out and killed a hare while you slept." Yuber stood and walked back to the cooking meat, turning the stick over before glancing back at Mia's skeptical look. He grinned childishly and shrugged his shoulders. "What? I know it's odd that I woke before you, but it happened."  
  
Mia smiled and shook her head, climbing from bed and crawling over to the fire, reaching out to grab some of her dry clothing. She cast another glance at the blonde as he tried not to watch her dress and let her comment remain silent. In all of the years that she had known Yuber, he had to be dragged grumbling from bed. Still, it was amusing to think that he had managed to wake at a normal hour.  
  
After dressing in her breeches and long-sleeved shirt, she flopped down in Yuber's lap, reaching back to run her fingers through his long locks of golden hair, taking pleasure of the silken strands slipping inbetween her fingers. She was a little surprised when her fingers ran into a obstacle and turned to look at the twig that had tangled itself in the blonde's hair. Smiling, she removed it and held it in front of his face. "Were you climbing trees again? I thought you said you were just hunting?"  
  
Yuber looked passed Mia innocently, shaking his head. He would be much to embarrassed if she found out that he had experimented with his new silence and fallen from a tree doing something completely stupid. "Nah, not this morning. It must have caught there while I was sneaking through the bushes trying to get a good shot." He could already tell that Mia didn't believe him, but he was thankful when she just nodded pleasantly and didn't push the issue. "Hungry?"  
  
Mia smiled and nodded silently, turning back to regard the fire. She took the meat that Yuber handed her, and they ate in relative silence, just enjoying their closeness. When she had completed her meal, she climbed from the blonde's lap and started to gather their clothing and bedding, folding each piece before stuffing them unceremoniously into the packs, probably wrinkling it all again. She turned just in time to see Yuber climbing to his feet after putting out the fire, smiling when he glanced back at her. "Come on, blondy. We should get on the road quickly. I dare not want to be around here when the Matilda Knights come by."  
  
"Right." Yuber wandered over and picked up his pack, swinging it into place onto his shoulders before walking from the cave, his gaze moving back and forth for anything that caught his eye. He was somewhat glad when Mia started to sing softly to herself, the sound probably masking the fact that he was still not making any noise as he walked. It was beginning to trouble him. He knew that it had started since the Eightfold Rune had come along, but dared not ask it.  
  
Too bad for him, the Rune knew what he was thinking and suddenly piped up loudly. 'Don't worry too much, boy. Silent steps are just the beginning of your transition. Soon enough, you'll be ready to fully train yourself.'  
  
Yuber glanced back over his shoulder to make sure that Mia wasn't staring at him strangely and breathed a sigh of relief when she appeared to be content gathering the occational flower along the road. He then turned his attention back to the spider. 'Transition? What transition?'  
  
The spider almost shrugged shoulders and turned in its web. 'You're going to transcend your humanity. No big deal because technically you aren't human at all anyway, but you must overcome the thought patterns of stupidity. The only way to do that is to break free of the human coil that bids you.'  
  
'Meaning?' Yuber inquired.  
  
'You're going to have to kill a lot of people.' The Rune chuckled when Yuber nearly stopped walking. 'Don't worry, boy. I'm looking forward to it.'  
  
Yuber shook his head somewhat. 'I won't do that. I've taken enough life in the past in my village. I won't kill unless I need to.'  
  
If a spider had eyebrows, all eight of them would have lifted. Instead, the spider left the web and walked more forward in the blonde's consciousness. 'Sorry to bust your bubble, but you don't have a choice in this matter. Your fate has already been laid before your feet so there is little that you can do about it. Just sit back and enjoy the ride, boy.'  
  
Again, Yuber shook his head. 'I could end my life right here and now. That will stop my destiny in its tracks.'  
  
'But that's the problem, boy, you don't have the guts to end your own life, not with the girl at your side. Face it, you are going to grow up to be a fine killer. You are going to slaughter more people in your reign than any other individual. I've seen your future, boy, which is why I'm in your right hand. I just can't wait to feel your power.' The spider grabbed hold of Yuber's full consciousness, forcing the blonde's attention on the Eightfold Rune. 'You can't run from what you don't understand, boy.'  
  
Yuber stopped walking and grabbed his head, forcing the Rune's voice away. He felt Mia at his side, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and shook his head of an image of himself standing in the middle of mass carnage. Swallowing hard, he raised his head again and forced a smile on his face for Mia. "Sorry, I just have a bit of headache."  
  
"Yuber...your nose is bleeding." Mia quickly pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it against the blonde's nose, looking into his downcast gaze. "Are you sure that you're feeling alright? You have been acting so strangely since I found you wandering out of that village. Yuber, did something happen there?"  
  
Yuber slowly shook his head. "I just...had trouble seeing all that death. It reminded me of back...you know. It's nothing, really. I think I just need a few days of rest to clear my head." He took the material from Mia's hands and nodded thankfully at her before starting to walk again, this time making sure to force the Rune's presence in his mind as far from the surface as possible. All he got was laughter from the Rune as he shoved it further back and the words 'The truth hurts, doesn't it?'.  
  
Mia looked away from the blonde, full of worry. She decided to let the issue drop, though. She knew that Yuber would speak about things that were bothering him when he was ready to do so and no amount of pressure could dissuade him otherwise. All she could do was be supportive of him. She wrapped an arm around his and started to walk again, this time picking up casual conversation to ease her own worry.  
  
Yuber sighed and was almost thankful when Mia pulled him into casual conversation, emersing himself throughly. It had been a long time since he and Mia had just talked and laughed at one another. They had done it very often when they were younger, but gradually over the years as they become more busy, it had dwindled. Time always seemed to pass so much faster when they talked of old times, reflected on past trials and tribulations. It was enjoyable to lose himself in the past of his life, some of the happiest days of his life.  
  
It took three days to walk to the nearest village, and along the way, they met very few travellers. The weather had remained warm and the view of the landscapes pleasant. Even the Rune in his right hand had little to say over the journey, generally keeping all comments to itself, though he got the distinct feeling that it was merely bidding its time. Still, he sometimes forgot that he even had one of the 27 True Runes in his hand during long conversations with Mia.   
  
They entered the newly established Highway Village near the Rakutei Mountains, dusty and tired. Evening was already beginning to fall on the village, and they had walked a long way just to reach it before nightfall. They managed to drag themselves to the inn and pay for a room.  
  
Yuber sighed heavily and released his hold on his pack, letting it slip to the floor with an audible smack. He murmured incoherantly when Mia said that she was going to get a meal for them to eat in their room. He felt like he could sleep for days at the pace that they had kept on the road and let his eyes drift shut briefly. He opened his eyes and looked around, his gaze snapping over to a older gentlemen near Mia, a snarl pulling at his lips. He watched the man inch closer to HIS Mia and attempt conversation. He was about to storm over to break the man over one knee when the Rune came to life in his mind and held him from movement. 'Let me go! I'll kill him!'  
  
'Shush, boy. You must wait for a better opportunity for such actions if you wish to keep your blood-thirsty urges from the girl. Wait and go out tonight, find him and do as you please with him. We must make it clear that the girl is ours, and no one has a right to lay a hand on her...well, like that.' The spider chuckled as he held Yuber from screaming in rage. It was clear that he could use the blonde's overprotectiveness against him. Still, he held firm and watched behind Yuber's gaze as Mia brushed the hand off of her shoulder and started back towards them. 'Ah, the maiden returns to our side. We will crush him when no one is looking.'  
  
Yuber sighed and nodded, gaze on the gentleman, memorizing his face. 'Yes, we will make sure he never touches Mia again.' He felt a cruel, cocky smirk work across his features as he sized up the older man, his gaze switching Mia as she stopped beside him, his expression switching back to neutral. He smiled when she held up a key and picked up his pack, following doggedly to their room, again releasing his pack when he entered the room.  
  
Mia smiled and flopped down on the bed, tossing an arm over her eyes. "Oh...I don't think we should ever hurry to a village ever again. I am beat...but luckily, we will get a nice meal. I think I will just eat and sleep on this evening. Are you going to join me, blondy?" She lifted her arm slightly so she could look at Yuber, grinning when he nodded childishly.  
  
Yuber felt his grin leave as soon as Mia stopped looking at him, his gaze going to the window. "However, I don't think I'm so tired that I won't wander out to take a look at the armoury before bed. I think I might try to purchase a new sword." He unsheathed the long sword and looked at his half-reflection in the steel. "This one is starting to rust from all the rain that I fall asleep in." He nearly dropped the sword when the eye that stared back at him from the blade flashed golden red for a moment, but managed to make it look like he had merely dropped it from exhaustion. He bent slowly and collected his blade just as a knock at the door sounded, his gaze following Mia as she jumped up and went to door.  
  
He smiled at the thought of a meal and flopped down on the bed with Mia when she brought the plate in, inspecting the food. He found them eating in silence, his thoughts on how he was going to find that man who had dared to touch Mia. When the meal was finished, he excused himself with an excuse of wanting to see the armoury and left silently, entering the darken streets. His Rune immediately stepped into his consciousness when they were free of others gaze and he set off tracking.  
  
It didn't take long for him to find the pitiful fool leaning against a tree smoking a pipe, obviously caught up in the book that he was attempting to read. Silently, Yuber approached and smirked when the older man didn't appear to notice him until he was right up beside him. "I doubt you can read so well in the night."  
  
The older man turned to regard him, booking snapping shut. "Pardon me, have we met?"  
  
Yuber grinned and shook his head. "Not yet, but I guarantee that we will get aquanted very quickly. You have a lot of guts walking around wrapping friendly arms around women that you have never met." He grabbed the older man by the front of his shirt, dragging him behind a nearby building and slamming him up against the wall. He placed a hand across the older man mouth when it opened. "If you scream, I will do more than just talk with you, understand?" He smirked when the bewildered man just nodded stupidly. "Good puppet. Now, tonight you laid a hand on a fine young woman named Mia. I am here to instruct you on the mistake that you made." He leaned in close, their gazes meeting. "She's mine."  
  
He didn't bother waiting for a response from the older man, instead, he drew back his fist and with all of his strength, smashed the older man, shivering at the snapping of bone beneath his fist. He let the man fall to the ground, turning his face away as blood spattered on his cheek.  
  
'Very good, boy. Now we don't have to listen to his pitiful cries of protest. Had I known you had that good of an arm, I would have had you swinging long before tonight.' The spider chuckled at the groaning man at the blonde's feet. 'Breaking his nose and jaw, very impressive. Let's have fun to get our point across more. I don't think he learned his lesson.' The Eightfold Rune watched as Yuber nodded slowly and bent to gather the other man.  
  
Yuber kicked the older man in the chest, smirking at the sound of breaking ribs. He flopped down on the man's chest, looking down into the blooded face. He casually wiped at the blood, humming softly to himself to tune out the small whimpers of pain from the other man. "Have we learned our lesson about touching another man's woman?" He raised an eyebrow when the older man nodded vigorously. "Have you now?" He held up his right hand, exposing the Eightfold symbol there. "Well, my Rune says that you haven't. Frankly, I don't think you have either. Let's play a game..." For an instant, he simply knew that the colour of his eyes shifted as terror etched itself on the other man's features, but he pulled his fist back regardless.  
  
He was unsure of how long he beat the other man, but as he stood in the moonlight covered in blood, time didn't seem to matter. The man was dead, he knew. He had killed once more, not for himself, but for Mia, for her protection. Yet, he couldn't deny the pleasure of ramming his fists over and over into another, weaker creature's flesh. He sighed when it began to rain and looked up, standing still as the blood of the weak washed from his skin. "I am strong, and the weak shall tremble before me."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Well, I surely hope that you enjoyed this chapter. It didn't take too long to write most parts, but I wanted to get to transition that Yuber was starting to undergo just right. I hope that I succeeded, and again, I thank everyone that took the time to read it. Comments are always welcome. 


	6. Parting Dreams

Disclaimer: In no way do I claim any rights to the characters of the Suikoden series. I do not own them, nor did I have any hand in creating them. Please don't sue as I don't have any money and just want to write a fanfic.  
  
Only in Dreams  
  
By: Chibi Nataku  
  
Author's Note: Speech that starts with ' instead of " means mental talking. If a conversation is going on between Yuber and the Rune, it is purely in his mind, and assume that no one else is aware of the conversation, but can see any emotion that is displayed openly by the Rune-bearer.  
  
Chapter 5 - Parting Dreams  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Mia let out a soft, contented sigh, snuggling closer to her bed partner. She found herself drifting in the space between sleep and wakefulness, merely lying quietly in the moment and warmth of her lover. She could not remember when he came back from checking into the armoury, probably because she had fallen asleep soon after he left, but she was happy to have his body beside hers once more.  
  
Slowly, she entered the world of the wakeful and lifted her cheek off of Yuber's muscled chest, looking up into the blonde's sleeping face. She smiled as he appeared to be smirking in his sleep, probably trapped in a dream of his liking as he only smirked when amused. She found him looking so peaceful in sleep, all of his features relaxed to show just a small piece of what her lover was really like. Still, behind the lax muscles, she could see tension that went much too far below the surface. Her lover was troubled in some way.  
  
She lifted a hand and stroked Yuber's cheek, her fingers running over the smooth flesh of his face before moving downward to his neck, stopping to feel the soft, steady pulse of life. Smiling, her fingers moved lower, running over dense muscles that hid such strength, even she could only describe it as inhuman. She brushed stray locks of gold from the blonde's flesh, moving it back to the bed; she sometimes wondered how it kept its luster and beauty in all the mud and rain that Yuber rolled around in. No scar marred his features, something that surprised her. He had been cut several times, yet it always healled fully, leaving no sign of injury afterwards. The smooth silken flesh felt so alive beneath her fingertips, more so than she remembered of him. Perhaps he had found a new sword that caught his attention?  
  
Mia looked up when Yuber groaned and swifted beneath her, the blonde coming to life to greet a new day. She smiled when her lover mumbled incoherantly and rubbed his eyes of sleep. She drew back from him and up as one eye opened to regard her, shocked to be staring into a demonic golden orb and a smirk crossing his features. "Yuber..."  
  
"Morning love." Was his only reply as he too sat up, reaching a hand towards his lover. The voice that spoke was not that of Yuber, but of something completely different, like nothing Mia had ever heard before.  
  
Mia would have screamed had Yuber's hand not wrapped around her throat tightly, slowly squeezing. She struggled to break his hold on her flesh, desperate to breathe once more, but the blonde's grip was like iron. All she could do was stare into those golden demonic eyes, terrified more so than any other time in her life that she could still remember. She let out small choking noises, hoping to silently persuade Yuber to release his hold on her; she eventually became desperate enough to start clawing at his arm, watching in complete horror as any blood that slipped from her lover's flesh transformed into a small spider that immediately moved to wander on her flesh. She let out a whimper, the best sound that she could currently produce, still drowning in those evil eyes that suddenly seemed more like eight than two.  
  
She stopped moving altogether when her vision faded, and she was sitting in utter darkness, alone save for the giant black spider that looked more demonic than Yuber had. She pushed herself back when it advanced towards her, screaming in terror when it lept and pinned her down, strength too much for any sort of real spider. She felt tears of terror slipping down her cheeks as she stared up at the giant monster. "Please...!"  
  
'Please what, darling?' The Eightfold Rune chuckled to itself, staring down into yet another terrified face. No matter how many times it saw such an expression, it never lost its amusement value. 'You are much more beautiful in mind than you are in body. Perhaps when I have nothing to do, you and I can have some fun, hm?' It drew back and shook its head when Mia let out the most shrill shrieks the Eightfold Rune had ever heard. It quickly covered her mouth with one front appendage. 'Alright, alright, it was just a sick joke. I don't do such things anyway. I have blood to spill and that is my hobby, not fine maidens such as yourself now stop screaming.'  
  
Mia tried to shove the spider off of her, without success, but did stop screaming. She shook in fear, the feeling of crawling skin of disgust forcing a new batch of tears down her cheeks. "Wh-what do you want from me? What did you do to Yuber?"  
  
The Rune chuckled again, releasing its hold on the ebony-haired girl, moving off a short distance to a web that it conjured up. 'You my darling, have just seen the final form of your sweet, charming, loving, and let me say, very demonic Yuber.' It waved a arm in the air, bringing forth a picture of the future, Yuber laughing manically drenched in the blood of the mounds of bodies around his feet. 'That my dear, is chaos, the ultimate embodiment of pure insanity, hatred, bloodlust, and other such fun terms for evil.' The Rune climbed up its web, eventually turning to regard the young woman. 'That's right, love, you are currently sleeping with a demonic child of the 27 Runes, one of two children. The other you know quite well too, as you lived with him.'  
  
"...Pesmerga...?" Mia asked breathlessly.  
  
'That's right, dear. That story of your brother falling from the sky...' The Eightfold Rune met Mia's terrified pools of emerald green. 'Well, it wasn't just a story; it was the truth. Your parents knew about him, but refused to tell you.' The spider stepped from the web, walking slowly towards the young woman who appeared to be absorbed in her own thoughts now. It reached out a arm and grabbed her ankle, forcing her attention back on it. 'By the way, it was Pesmerga that butchered your family.' It watched her eyes widen considerably. 'Just thought you would like to know, darling. Reality can be so cruel...that's why I love it!'  
  
Mia looked away from the spider, covering her mouth in the horror that it seemed so clear that her own brother had killed her parents. They didn't get along well as he grew older and began hiding more and more of his features beneath armour and cloth. Still, she shook her head, disbelieving. "No, I don't believe you! My brother would never do that! He was a nice boy!" She felt strength in her words, sitting up more, despite her still obvious terror. "I took care of him, and I know in my heart that he is still a good boy! When I find him again, we will talk of our adventures, laugh under the moonlight, and become happy together. Pesmerga is my brother, and I will not stand for you, whatever you are, to be bad-mouthing him!"  
  
The spider withdrew its presence by hiding behind its web, watching the young woman silently. Eventually, after some thought, it walked forward again. 'Very well. I will speak no more of the brother you raised. However, tell me, who do you love more, Pesmerga or Yuber?'  
  
Mia was shocked by the question, sitting still for a few moments as an image formed between her and the giant spider, one of Pesmerga and Yuber facing each other in a forested area. She thought that they were talking to one another then let out a small cry when they attacked one another, charging with broad swords again and again. "Stop! Stop them! They aren't supposed to fight!"  
  
The Eightfold Rune jumped and pinned the screaming young woman to the ground again, snarling. 'Wrong! They will fight again and again. The fates have entwined those two together, much like brothers. They will hate each other for the entire time that they are on this retched planet!' The spider withdrew, returning to its web slowly.  
  
"You're lying! They won't do that! I won't let them!" Mia screamed back at the spider, angry now. She refused to believe that the two people that she cherished most in her life were going to be enemies for all time. She had promised herself that they would be friends and enjoy one another's company as she did. She never wanted them to fight like that vile image showed. "No, you're lying." She stated matter-of-factly to the black spider.  
  
'My darling, we 27 Runes are incapable of lying, especially when it is this amusing.' The spider moved more comfortably in its web, gaze still on the sitting young woman. 'Everything that has been spoken between us has been the truth or the most probable truth. How does it feel to be talking to a True Rune, love?'  
  
Mia glared at the spider and climbed to her feet, hands clentched at her sides. She ignored the question directed at her, instead, she replied with a question of her own. "Why are you telling me all of this information? I love both Yuber and Pesmerga so why are you giving me information that could potentially break us all apart? The 27 Runes crave order."  
  
The Eightfold Rune snorted. 'Don't lecture me about the purpose of the 27 Rune, darling. I tell you all this information for two reasons.' The spider began rubbing its legs together, almost grinning were it possible. 'One, if you leave dear, sweet Yuber, it will be quite fun to hunt you down. And two, well, I'm evil.' The spider broke into a deep, sadistic laugh, nearly rolling itself over on the black ground like a playful puppy. It had been a long time since it had managed to get THAT kind of look from anyone.  
  
It could rarely get such wide-eyed shocked expressions out of the people that it choose as bearers, mostly because it didn't allow for it. It hadn't existed for a few hundred years not to have found a way to gain control of emotion and the minds of its carriers. Part of the reason that young Yuber accepted its suggestions with only a shrug of the shoulders was because it blocked out any further reaction. The boy listened to it and would probably react with much more free-spirited emotion had those emotions been accessable, but it refused for its bearers to make fools out of themselves. It kept little Yuber on a short leash, making sure the boy listened to its every word as if it were the most common thoughts on any human's mind. The more the boy listened, the easier he was to train. Already, the boy had been encouraged to kill for no reason, which was only one large step in the boy's final fate. Soon, the spider knew it was be reveling in the blood of the innocent more and more until all the boy could think off of slaughtering humans. It knew it had a great existance.  
  
Mia stared into those cold, calculating red eyes, red like blood. She knew that the Rune had caused much death and only craved more. Though she had never heard of the Eightfold Rune itself, she was fearful of what it was saying to her. Her sweet, innocent Yuber would never do the acts that it had showed her. She simply couldn't believe that the boy that she had raised would turn to spilling blood, certainly, not on his own accord. The more that she stared at the spider, the more she began to understand fractions of Yuber's strange behaviour. "You..."  
  
'Me...? You have something to say to me, darling?' The Eightfold Rune asked, mocking.  
  
"Leave Yuber alone!" Mia screamed, sounding more childish than she had intended, but she refused to take the words back.  
  
The spider growled softly. 'Dear maiden, should you try to get in the way of the boy's ultimate transcention, I will remove you personally. It would give me great pleasure to have a little fun while sweet, not-so-innocent Yuber slept so do not tempt me. The True Runes have already decided his fate, and not even you can stand in its way. All you need to do, darling, is to stand by, give him a little love, and wait for him to come around to killing you...opps, did I say that?' The cold mockery of those words made the Eightfold Rune chuckle more to itself than anyone.  
  
Mia swallowed the lump in her throat and shoved back the tears that were beginning to form; she had cried enough today. So, her fate was already determined as well. She snarled with more intensity than she knew from herself. "No!" She screamed at the Eightfold Rune. "Everyone can change their fate! 108 stars can gather under a common leader can break the chains of fate. My fate is to protect Yuber, to love him no matter what he does!" She jumped to her feet as the spider snarled with equal anger and started to advance towards her. "I will break your hold over him, or I will die trying!"  
  
'So glad you volunteered to die, darling!' The spider waved an arm in the air, conjuring up a spell of webs to grab the young woman, chuckling as she screamed more in anger than any other emotion. 'You can't defeat a True Rune, my dear. We control everything, especially here in the mind.'  
  
"Yuber!" Mia screamed in desperation, surprised when the darkness parted to reveal her lover tied equally in a web, his body sagging heavily in the sicky, thick strings, arms forced above his head and also sagging. A single movement looked to be enough to have the webbing cut into his flesh, but she screamed at his unconscious form again. "Yuber, wake up! You must get out of here! Yuber!" She laughed in relief when he slowly stirred and raised his face to look at her, gasping as she once more stared into demonic, yellow orbs. "Yuber...no...."  
  
'Face it, darling. You cannot win, not with him or me. He is mine for all of time, and you, well, you are just an obsticle to reaching the final goal.' The Eightfold Rune smirked cruelly, content with this small victory. Its victory didn't last as long as it wanted as it felt something shift within the blonde, eight eyes moving to where the boy was held firmly. 'No...You can't. You aren't even awakened yet...but...' It growled when golden eyes shifted to blue briefly and rolled its eyes in exassperation. 'Boy, stop fighting reality and give in. You can't win either.'  
  
'...M...Mia...' The word left Yuber's mouth in a quiet gasp. His eyes suddenly shifted back to the light blue as he once more gained control of himself. 'Mia!' He was unaware that the same symbol that had appeared during the slaughter of his village reappeared on his forehead, but the Eightfold Rune's expression was enough to indicate such. He yelled angrily and felt raw energy explode around him, only Mia's fading scream reaching him as well as the spider's mutterings of 'Stupid, stubborn boy! You'll destroy us both!' He felt his world fade to white quickly after that moment.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Yuber groaned softly, shifting to an upright position before opening his eyes. He grabbed his head and attempted to shake away the intense headache that made white spots appear before his eyes. He gasped when arms wrapped around his waist and Mia was suddenly against him, sobbing into his bare chest. Gently, he shifted his arms around her in a comforting hug, unsure of what he was suppose to say to her. He knew that she was now aware of the True Rune in his right hand and probably of some of the destiny that he might be undertaking. So, he remained silent, searching his mind for the Rune's presense and was a little miffed when it appeared to have hidden itself completely from him.  
  
"Yuber, you can't do the things that it says that you will. I don't want you to do such horrible things to people. You are a sweet young man, and I don't want to lose you." Mia sobbed softly into the blonde's chest, taking comfort in the fact that he was holding her as he normally would. She tightened her hold around his waist, unwilling to lose him now. She had spent too long in his company to lose him now.  
  
Yuber lifted his right hand and stared at the palm before sighing heavily. "Mia...I could hurt you if I stay. You are the last person that I want to hurt, so...maybe it is best if I go off on my own for awhile and figure things out." He looked away when Mia shifted back in his arms to look him in the face. He was much too ashamed of the actions that he had already undertaken, though he dare not tell Mia about them. He was too much of a danger to Mia to stay close for too long. Besides, he needed time to think.  
  
Mia stared at Yuber's profile, studying the intricate details of his face, every line, every contour, every fleeting expression that spoke a million words. She knew, just by looking at him, that his decision had been made and that no matter what she said to him, he would still go. Perhaps he was as confused about their new predicament as much as she was, but she knew Yuber well enough to know that he would return to her. Still, she was reluctant to let him leave her side. "Yuber, we can figure things out together. I don't believe that you would hurt me, not of your own free will. I love you for who are and what you have always been. Nothing will ever change how I feel. Please, just stay."  
  
"You already know that I won't. You have been with me long enough to know that I will still go to protect you from myself. I will be gone for as long as it takes for me to think and figure things out." Yuber finally turned to gaze at Mia, a warm smile tugging at his lips as he lifted a hand to stroke his lover's cheek softly. "I promise that I will return to you, though. We will be together again. Nothing can separate us, not even death itself." He bent to kiss her, a silent seal to his promise.  
  
Mia felt one final tear slip down her cheek as Yuber kissed her simply, a pledge of his word to her. Still, she couldn't help but feel a pang of regret that she would be unable to help him sort through this problem. However, she would wait for him to return, even if it took for the rest of all time.  
  
She opened her eyes when they parted, running fingers over the silky warm flesh of the blonde's cheek and up into his golden locks of silk. "Stay with me until we reach Rockaxe, then do as you will. I'll be fine from there." She smiled when Yuber nodded silently, pulling him in close for another hug. "I suppose...we should get packed and head out towards the Capital then."  
  
Yuber silently shook his head, wrapping his arms around Mia's waist. "Let's wait for a little while." He held his lover to his chest as he lay back down, pulling her on top of him before sighing contently. He smiled and ran his fingers through her loose strands of ebony waters, feeling each lock that passed between his digits.  
  
Mia gave herself completely to her lover, living for the moments between them. She did her best to memorize his smell, feel, taste, and even his very essence. She threw herself into their love-making as if it would be the very last moment of her life, taking nothing for granted nor fully losing herself to the pleasures, rather, she took these moments to capture what Yuber was like with her. When they had calmed their bodies down in the after-glow, she spoke her love to him, smiling when he exchanged equal feelings.  
  
And then, it was over. They silently dressed, packed and headed from the door, from the life that they had onced lived in joy together. They trudged the long road the Rockaxe in almost complete silence, each in their own thoughts of reflection of the past and hopes for the future. They lost themselves in past-times of old such as staring up at the stars and telling old stories of one another's funniest moments. However, upon reaching Rockaxe, little was said aside from brief farewells as they had both reserved themselves to refusing final good-byes.  
  
Yuber felt his heart heavy as he walked from the great stone gates of Rockaxe, glancing back once at where Mia was waving at him. He forced a smile on his face and waved back half-heartedly, suddenly worried that he had made the wrong decision. Still, he forced himself to turn back and walk down the road that would lead him to the Maltida/State border. He walked swiftly until he was out of sight of the Capital then dodged into a nearby patch of forest, flopping down beneath a tree. He sighed heavily and lost himself in the clear blue sky.  
  
'What do you plan to do with yourself now, boy? You've officially run away from your old life, something which pleases me.' The Eightfold Rune surged forward when Yuber was not as guarded, taking over most of the blonde's consciousness.  
  
'I don't want to talk to you. What you did to Mia is unforgivable.' Yuber replied as heatedly as he could currently muster.  
  
The Rune chuckled to itself. 'Well, it is no worse than what you did in her name.'  
  
Yuber cringed slightly and tore his gaze away from the sky, now looking at the green grass. 'Just don't talk to me.'  
  
'Oh? Why should I when we have so much time alone to get to know one another again?' The spider stepped forward fully into the blonde's consciousness, cold mockery in every whisper of its voice. 'I have so much to tell you.'  
  
'...' Yuber winced as his reply was silenced by the Rune, grabbing his head as the headache from a few days before returned full-force.  
  
The Rune did its best to smirk. 'Its just you and me, boy. I owe you for the damage you caused a few days ago. Not many filthy creatures can wound a True Rune, but then again, you are not really a human. Still, we are going to have a very, very long talk, starting right now....'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Okay, I'm sure that everyone is bored of reading my thank you to them for reading, so I have something different to say this time. I must apologize profusely to everyone who wanted to write a review and could not. In my settings, I must have accidently hit the box where it didn't allow for anonymous reviews so it is my fault. I am very sorry about that, and please, anyone feel free to review if they wish to.  
  
I also apologize for the lateness of this chapter. I got a full-time job so it will be taking me a bit longer to get chapters posted. I will do my best though, so please be patient. 


	7. Dreams with a Twist

Disclaimer: In no way do I claim any rights to the characters of the Suikoden series. I do not own them, nor did I have any hand in creating them. Please don't sue as I don't have any money and just want to write a fanfic.  
  
Only in Dreams  
  
By: Chibi Nataku  
  
Author's Note: Speech that starts with ' instead of " means mental talking. If a conversation is going on between Yuber and the Rune, it is purely in his mind, and assume that no one else is aware of the conversation, but can see any emotion that is displayed openly by the Rune-bearer.  
  
Chapter 6 - Dreams with a Twist  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Yuber grunted in exhaustion as he shifted his pack to his other shoulder, grinding his teeth in aggravation to the stupid sing-song that his Rune was loudly proclaiming just to make him more irritated. He coughed on the dust that had encrusted itself in his mouth and throat, wiping sweat with the back of his hand, only succeeding in smearing dirt across his already filthy tanned flesh. He was tired and highly uncomfortable, especially with all of his clothing clinging to his body thanks to the extreme heat that he was trudging through.  
  
He had been walking for a week and a half straight, rarely resting for long and refusing to stop to eat or resupply himself. However, the longer he walked in the blistering heat, the more he craved the shade and a nice long nap. He dared not sleep for to sleep meant that the True Rune trapped him in his mind for new lessons. He refused to speak with it for long periods, if only to satisfy his own stubborn pride of not giving in when he was still angry over how the spider treated Mia. It appeared that his anger only amused the Rune more and more as the days went on, and it specifically pointed out either the worst scenario or the absolute obvious.  
  
Still, he was beginning to admit to himself that if he kept up his crazed pace, he was going to collapse in the middle of the dirt road and sleep for a week. His tolerance level had already reached its limit, and he was currently straining not to just stab himself in the chest several times with his sword just to quiet the Eightfold Rune. He had already stopped and started screaming at it a few days back just as some travelers were passing by, crediting him as insane and to be avoided.  
  
He finally stopped and swayed in the road, running a hand through his sweat-soaked golden locks that had managed to mat up on him. He sighed heavily and looked around, throwing the loose strands back with the rest of his hair, again wiping sweat from his face, hoping to remove the sting from his eyes. Despite his body's loud protests, he grunted and pressed onward, stumbling over several rocks before finally falling to his knees, swearing loudly as the loose gravel cut into his flesh. He slowly forced himself back to his feet and started stumbling forward again, determined not to let himself be deterred from his quest for solitude.  
  
'If you think killing yourself will get you anywhere, boy, I think you had better rethink your strategy. You do realize that there are easier ways to find release, or has the sun fried any reminiscence to an actual brain in your head?' The Eightfold Rune prodded in boredom at Yuber's thick skull, hoping to get some reaction out of the blonde. As of late, it had taken to annoying him for the sole purpose of driving home the fact that it was not going to go away with simple ignoring. Still, it was beginning to admit that if it didn't step in soon, it bearer was going to ruin himself with all this exhaustion. The heat didn't help matters either. 'Look, boy, there's some shade. Go sit in it. Maybe you can recover some actual brainpower for more than two seconds.'  
  
'Get lost.' Yuber growled back at the Rune, shoving it away from his thoughts. He trudged further on until he felt himself forced to stop. He shrieked in complete and absolute anger when he found his body refusing his commands and instead, was under the control of the Eightfold Rune. He struggled to gain control, scratching almost desperately at his own consciousness, shrieking madly for anyone wandering close to hear. He grabbed at his hair, shaking his head about wildly to at least release some of his frustrations, hoping that without much sight, the Rune would leave him alone.  
  
Still, with all of his fighting, shrieking, and general madness, he found himself dumping his pack on the ground, then all of his clothing, then he let out a shocked yelp when his skin hit the cool water of a stream. He quickly found himself back in control, wet and naked in a stream near the road. 'I hate you.'  
  
The Eightfold Rune chuckled. 'No, you don't. The heat just got to your brain. You'll feel better in a few minutes.' The spider moved about in Yuber's mind, assessing any damage that might have been caused. 'Hmmm, heat stroke, random temper-tantrums, stubborn pride...Yes, definitely the heat.' It smirked when the blonde started to splash around in the swallow water, throwing water over dry flesh and dirty hair, turning the little patch of fresh water an odd colour. It watched as the blonde started to clean away the dirt and grime from the long hot walking. 'You missed a spot.'  
  
'Piss off.' Yuber replied angrily.  
  
'What? Can't a True Rune try to be helpful? I'm only looking out for your well-being, of course.' The Eightfold Rune chuckled when the blonde went back to ignoring it. This time it allowed Yuber a bit of peace while the blonde cleaned up his mussed appearance in the stream. It didn't wait too long after the blonde had settled himself into the cool water for a rest. 'Bet you wish the girl was here to 'cheer' you up.'  
  
Yuber sat bolt upright, hair launching water across to the other bank before clinging to his chest. 'Don't you dare speak of Mia after what you did! I won't forgive you!'  
  
'Well, glad I'm not looking for forgiveness then.' The spider replied dryly. It chuckled when Yuber just grumbled at it and returned to resting in the cool water. 'How about I tell you a story, boy? It will be good, I guarantee.'  
  
'I doubt you'll listen to me even if I say 'no' to you anyway. Do what you want.' Yuber replied, mind on other thoughts, mostly of how much he missed travelling with Mia.  
  
The Eightfold Rune snorted. 'I always do what I want. It's part of being a True Rune.' Still, the spider conjured up a web around itself and settled in comfortably. 'I will tell you about the 27 True Runes, boy. This is our story.  
  
'In the beginning, you know what happens so I won't repeat it. Still, when the Sword and the Shield shattered and created the 27 True Runes, each of us hold brief parts of the two brothers' personalities. Together, the 27 True Runes hold the world that you miserable humans live on in balance, no force ever ruling over another. Still, the final purpose of the True Runes is to have order and rigid truth. Humans are outside of our cycle so together, we created the force called 'fate' to keep the filth of this planet on a leash, so to speak. Within in this force, we control what each human will do in his or her life, ruling over it strictly so that order will be still achieved. However, even with fate in place, humans have managed to ruin many of our great schemes, mostly because they too possess certain aspects of Sword and Shield in them, most the craving to be better than another. This has lead to problems because humans believe that they can control the True Runes and become un-godly powerful, which really isn't true as...well, the filth will never control something with more intelligence than them.' The Eightfold Rune chuckled as it thought of one of its past bearers who had believed in just that same idea. It had showed that miserable beast its place. 'Anyway, there will always be war on this planet because of humans. To wipe them out, is to restore complete order and remove fate from its place.'  
  
Yuber sighed and stared up at the green canopy above him, watching the leaves move with the gentle breeze that had come up. 'But don't the True Runes control fate?'  
  
The Eightfold Rune somewhat nodded its head. 'Well, yes and no. The True Runes created fate, but it appears to us that fate itself has developed an odd sense of humour thanks to Darkness fooling with it. Fate seems to have developed a mind of its own, but it is still ruled over by the True Runes. Sadly, most of the True Runes are too consumed with their own purposes to care about the workings of fate. However, all the True Runes are very aware of you.'  
  
'What do I have to do with any of this?' Yuber asked, unable to deny some of his interest in this new topic.  
  
'You are what could be said as a sick joke made by fate. You are...well, we don't quite know what you are...' The Eightfold Rune sighed and shifted in its web, trying to figure out the best words for Yuber to hear. 'Some of the True Runes believe that you are chaos, the ultimate embodiment of randomness that fate could create. Others of us think that you may the be one of the children that bore us True Runes.'  
  
Yuber sat up in the water. 'Wait a second. Are you telling me that I may be the Sword or the Shield?'  
  
The Eightfold Rune shrugged. 'In not so many words, yes. Until you fully awaken, we will not know for fate has become very illusive and cryptic in her old age. She gives us small glimpse of the future, but she has arranged it so that nothing comes in order and clues must be put together.' The spider grabbed the blonde's consciousness when Yuber's mind started to wander away from the current conversation. 'Not so fast, boy. Fate must arrange and keep the balance.'  
  
It was Yuber's turn to shrug his shoulders. 'So?'  
  
'So, where you are chaos or possibly the Shield, there is another in this world who will be order or possibly the Sword. Not even fate herself can lay a hand on the children of the 27 True Runes. Your fate is yet undecided.' The Eightfold Rune watched the blonde as he processed all of the information with more than a little confusion. 'Don't worry, it will all come together when you awaken.'  
  
Yuber shook his head, throwing more water around. He was confused, yet all the same; one part of this conversation didn't make any sense. If his fate was untouchable, why did the spider keep insisting that he would kill so many people, possibly even his lover? It angered him that he was not completely understanding, but also, he was angry that the True Rune led him astray with thinking that he would have to do some awful acts. 'You lied to me!' He finally said to the spider.  
  
The Eightfold Rune cocked its head as far to the side as it could, now finding itself a little confused. 'I don't lie, boy.'  
  
'No, you lied to me! First you told me that I would have to kill a lot of people, including Mia, but now you are telling me that my fate in untouchable because of what I am.' Yuber exclaimed, glaring at the essence that was the Eightfold Rune.  
  
The spider sighed. 'Well, I must have missed a part out then. Until you transcend your humanity, boy, you are still just a filthy human. Your fate has been decided all the way to the point where you awaken to your true form. However, after you transcend, your fate is your own.' The Eightfold Rune held up one forearm, clearing its throat more for the drama than any real purpose. 'There is a way to stop this cycle for a time, though.'  
  
Yuber quirked an eyebrow in confusion. 'And what's that? What must I do to save Mia?'  
  
'You must find and kill your opposite before he or she transcends their humanity. Only then, will that individual be forced in the cycle of rebirth and come back to this planet as a human again. To destroy your opposite is to force fate to restart this whole cycle.' The Rune watched Yuber's reaction carefully, trying to force the boy to think in the manner that it was trying to convey. 'You understand, right?'  
  
'I must kill order...' Yuber whispered in his mind. 'The True Runes crave order so by destroying all of the True Runes...'  
  
'Whoa! Stop that thought right now, boy!' The Eightfold Rune grabbed the blonde's conscious thoughts before they had a chance to run any further. It grabbed Yuber fiercely, all eight eyes meeting confused blue ones. 'To destroy a True Rune is to take on God. It places fate in direct conflict with Darkness herself.'  
  
Yuber cocked his head to the side. 'And the problem?'  
  
The Eightfold Rune sighed in exasperation. 'Darkness has been asleep since the Sword and Shield destroyed themselves. To awaken her by means such as placing fate in danger could end the entire universe.'  
  
'But...I wouldn't have to kill Mia, right?' Yuber asked.  
  
'You have a very one-track mind, boy.' The Rune smacked the blonde hard. 'Your fate is not to destroy the 27 Runes, at least not yet so forget the idea. Let's move on to something else.'  
  
Yuber yawned and slowly nodded his head. 'Very well, but I'm still angry with you for hurting Mia.' He shifted in the stream that he was lying in and sat up, finally forcing himself the short distance to where his clothing was lying in a disheveled heap next to his pack. He picked up his shirt, took one look at it and gathered all of his clothing up for a good washing. He refused to smell that bad anymore.  
  
The Eightfold Rune pushed back its web and wandered forward in the blonde's mind, inspecting his current activity. 'You should wear more metal. I have some great armour that we can get our hands on. It is black and...well, it would suit you very well. Should I arrange it?'  
  
'Not really interested in armour.' Yuber said as he wrung the water from his shirt, wrinkling his nose at the colour of water that appeared from the material. He set to work fully cleaning the material to the best of his abilities. He shook his head when the Rune muttered to itself and eventually, could take the growing conversation no longer. 'Alright! I'll wear some more armour, but not right now.'  
  
The Eightfold Rune smirked. 'I knew you would see it my way...eventually.' The spider shifted and attempted a grin. 'However, that is not what I wanted to discuss with you. It's time you learn some of my powers, boy. All of this walking is making me irritable, and all this dust is making you stupid.' It chuckled when the blonde bristled at its obvious mockery.  
  
Yuber grumbled incoherently and forced himself to not comment back at the Rune, instead, he made it look like washing clothing was the most exciting event in his life. He scrubbed the cloth in his hands, removing all of the sweat and dirt that he could, not really listening to the spider that seemed to be raving on and on almost unintelligibly. When he was called upon to make a response to the Rune, he merely grunted neutrally.  
  
The giant spider drew back and thought through its speech, shaking its head when it quickly figured out that it had been speaking in the language of the World of Emptiness. Snorting to itself, it grabbed hold of the blonde's consciousness. 'It would seem that you have yet to learn the tongue of Emptiness, boy.' It rubbed its head with one of its forelegs, grumbling to itself. 'So much to teach you, so little time to do it in before you go completely insane...Anyway, let's stop all this ridiculous walking and just teleport to our destination, shall we?'  
  
Yuber felt his interest peek at the mention of learning to teleport. 'You have the ability to teleport your bearer?'  
  
'I have many fun and more than a few destructive abilities. Teleportation is just one of the many things you will learn. Let's start, shall we?' The Eightfold Rune chuckled at the blonde's sudden eagerness and released its hold on Yuber's consciousness now that it had the blonde's full attention. 'Might I suggest you put your clothes back on. I doubt you wish to wander around freely.'  
  
Yuber felt his cheeks redden as he scrambled into his wet clothing, throwing his still wet hair over his shoulder. 'Okay, okay, let's go. Let's see what you can do.'  
  
'Whoa there, boy. I'm in control of these lessons so I'll be giving any orders and such so just keep your trap shut and do as your told.' The Eightfold Rune smirked when Yuber just grumbled but refused to make a heated reply, though it knew that it was at the edges of the blonde's mind. 'First off, start concentrating on where you wish to go. A simple slip in concentration can put you in a random place, like the middle of a lake.'  
  
Yuber nodded more to himself, eager to finally be able to not just have a talking Rune in his right hand. He listened intently to every instruction that the Eightfold Rune gave him, asking of small questions that usually ended him with harsh reprimands. Still, it took a long part of the day and more than a few memories of the past bearers to show him exactly what he was supposed to do. He found himself learning quickly, able to teleport small objects to himself by the time that the sun was beginning to set. He could tell that the Rune was impressed as well with his abilities.  
  
'Alright, now here comes the hard part. Let's teleport us somewhere. Screw this up, and you be doing more than a little walking in the hot sun.' The Eightfold Rune smirked as it felt its connection with the blonde growing stronger everytime Yuber tapped into its power. It was pleased with the abilities of the blonde, but it was uncertain whether the young man would be ready of bodily teleportation yet; some of its past bearers took months to learn to teleport themselves. Still, it was willing to put the blonde to the full test, eager to see just how well the young man could do. 'Give it a try, boy. Not too far now, as you've used a lot of power today. Just to end of this forest is good enough.'  
  
'Right, I'll give it a try.' Yuber took a deep breath and closed his eyes, taking time to imagine what the road looked like. He summoned up enough power to move him, gasping when a sudden loud noise caught his attention. Before he could cancel the spell out, he felt the cold splash of water around him, coming the surface sputtering as waves shoved him back a forth. He felt the Rune scrambling in the back of his mind, but refused to rely on the Eightfold spider, gasping desperately for air as another wave crashed over his head. His lungs screamed for air as he was tossed back and forth, his mind running in panic now. He knew that if he didn't attempt another teleportation, he would surely drown. However, his concentration continually faltered as waves slammed into him, finally just thinking of one word. 'Anywhere!'  
  
Yuber felt the rush of water over his body disappear, instead, he fell to the inky black ground, coughing desperately to remove the water from his lungs and draw a breath of air. He wheezed and shivered violently, clenching his eyes shut from the painful feel of salty water.  
  
Slowly, he rose from all fours to look around at the desolate landscape that he was in. The ground around him was dry and cracked, dust blowing in the stiff wind that moved across the desert. In the distance, mountains jutted from the earth and reached for a red sky where three large moons clung together. The smell of scorched earth and blood invaded all of his senses, forcing him to draw a hand up to cover his nose and mouth. He was vaguely aware of piles of bones nearby, some scattered randomly, others stalked in precise order. He then become aware of the fact that he was not alone, rather, armoured demons, skeletal creatures, and evil chimera surrounded him. 'Oh...no...where the hell am I?'  
  
The Eightfold Rune stirred the blonde's mind, sighing heavily. 'Alright, first point, don't lose your concentration no matter what is around. And second...NEVER use the word 'anywhere' when teleporting, you stupid, ignorant whelp! You just sent yourself the middle of the ocean then you managed to screw up again and sent yourself to the World of Emptiness! No human has ever walked around this place!'  
  
Yuber swallowed hard, biting his lip as he gazed at all of the vicious-looking creatures that seemed to be quite content staring at him. 'Wh-Why are they staring at me?'  
  
'...' The spider was at a slight loss for words, eventually only coming up with the obvious. 'They don't get many visitors here so interest is generally peeked when something new pops up for a visit.'  
  
'Are...they going to kill me?' Was the only thing that Yuber could come up with.  
  
'Well...probably. First, they will poke you to find out what you are, then torture you, hack you up and such, then maybe kill you. It has been awhile for me so I'm not too sure on the order that they use here anymore.' The Eightfold Rune searched through the blonde, grumbling when it quickly came to the conclusion the Yuber was in no position to teleport again until the blonde had some rest.  
  
Yuber again attempted to swallow the lump in his throat. 'So...you can get us out of here, right? I mean, you are a True Rune and all.'  
  
The spider shook its head. 'I'm afraid that we are stuck here until you rest yourself. If I take control and force you to teleport, it could destroy you. We must remain here.' The Eightfold Rune brightened suddenly. 'On a lighter note, we can get that armour you promised to wear! At least you can look good before you die.'  
  
'You are hardly inspiring me with anything other than blind terror!' Yuber screamed at the Eightfold Rune, shoving it back roughly in his consciousness. He climbed to his feet and drew his long sword, growling angrily. "I won't die here!" He screamed, taking a purposeful step forward to challenge any that would dare go against him.  
  
Yuber was more than a little surprised when the monsters surrounding him suddenly parted as an armour-clad man walked forward, horned helmet covered the man's eyes but the smirk was cold and calculating. "Who the hell are you?" He yelled at the man, snarling when the armoured knight stopped and chuckled at his question. 'I thought you said no human has walked here.'  
  
"Well, well, well. It's about time you showed up, Yuber. I've been expecting you for some time. Follow me if you wish to live a bit longer." The metal-clad knight turned on his heel, his blood red cloak sweeping out behind him so close that the blonde man could smell the musk of death. Glancing over his shoulder, demonic red eyes took in the young man's appearance before the same smirk returned to his lips.  
  
Yuber followed slowly, unsure of whether he had any other options. The man before him was easily his height, possibly a few inches taller and fully clad in black armour with a gold trim. A red horned, black helmet hid most of the man's facial features, all but the cocky smirk and smooth tanned flesh. Beneath the armour, Yuber spied grayish-green pants and long sleeved jerkin. A long cloak accented the man's obvious authority, red like the sky and flowing in an inhuman manner in the breeze, the cloak giving off the appearance that it was reaching for him as they walked. He was surprised as long silver hair flowed from beneath the man's helmet, almost reaching to the dusty ground, yet, it too had a life of its own that was not human. The air about the man was like walking into a snowy winter in the nude, Yuber shivering as he felt the urge to run in the other direction as his skin crawled uneasily.  
  
Yuber stopped when the metal-clad knight did, waiting awkwardly as they stood almost froze in movement. He took a step back when the other man suddenly swiveled with such speed, it took him a moment to realize that he was staring at the front of the man. He shifted his weight, trying to capture a glimpse of the eyes of this man, unsure if he really wanted to. When the man smirked evilly, he returned to his previous stance, so many questions on his mind. "You said that you've been expecting me. Who the hell are you?"  
  
"You aren't quite in hell yet, little boy, but I assure you that you are getting closer to it. All you need to do is tread the path you are on and hell will find you sooner than you would like to admit." The black knight chuckled and swept some of his hair over one of the spikes of his shoulder armour, watching as the locks flowed towards the blonde even without a wind to urge them. "You will come to know me as Natas, one of the only Black Knights that can still manage coherent thoughts and speech."  
  
Yuber quirked an eyebrow. "Black Knight? Is that like the Matilda Knights? Serve and protect the people and that crap?"  
  
Natas outrightly laughed, throwing his head back at Yuber's most amusing comment. "Sort of, except our motto is 'Backstab and murder'." He advanced towards the blonde, grinning cruelly. "We are the evil faction of knights, a faction that steps from the World of Emptiness into the World of Men to crush them and show them just how weak they are. We kill, backstab, brutalize, and burn anything in our paths." The Black Knight stopped very close to Yuber, lifting the young man's chin so that their gazes met. "You will be one of us. It is your destiny."  
  
Yuber pulled his chin away and took a step back, snarling angrily. "Why?! Why does everyone know my destiny but me? You know nothing about me!" He drew back when Natas reached a hand towards him. "How do you know my destiny? How does the Rune in my right hand know my destiny? How does everyone but me know it!? Answer me, you monster!"  
  
Natas again laughed, thoroughly amused now. It had been so long since he had laughed this hard. "We all know because you can call us to aid you. You are the Black Knight that will take control of the World of Emptiness and summon forth an army to destroy the race of men. You have no knowledge of this because you are just a human."  
  
"Just a human...? Everything has to do with the fact that I'm just a human." Before even thinking, Yuber turned on his heel and bolted away from the silver-haired man, wanting to run away from all of this. He knew that he did enjoy hunting and sparring, but it never turned into bloodshed. He merely wanted to protect Mia that was all.  
  
He felt the air leave his lungs as the hilt of a sword smashed into his fleeing back, groaning as he rolled to ground roughly, landing flat on his stomach. He let out a surprised cry of pain as a metal boot slammed into the middle of his back, forcing him back to the ground as he attempted to rise. He stopped struggling when a sword tip pressed into the back of his neck. He instinctually knew that Natas was holding him to the ground, and that the Black Knight would not kill him. "You won't kill me." He stated, more for his own benefit.  
  
"True, but death is a long way off when one knows how to torture. You don't need all of your parts to function normally." Natas drew his sword down the blonde's back, trailing in intricate pattern on the dusty cloth before moving the blade back up Yuber's back, stopping when he reached the younger man's shoulder blade. "Right here should do. I love the screams they make when you puncture right here..." He thrust the blade forward without effort, relishing in the shocked scream of pain that ripped from the blonde's lips. He quickly withdrew the blade and flipped it in his hands, bringing the hilt down to smash into the younger man's head, chuckling when Yuber went limp. "Works like a charm. Now the real fun begins..."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Wheeeeee! Finally done this chapter and with a new, happy original character. Natas should be fun! Thanks to everyone that reviewed and hope that you are all still enjoying it. If you would like to see something added in, such as a plot point, please let me know and I will try to work it in.  
  
Sorry again that it took so long to get this chapter up. I will attempt to work harder for the next chapter. I know that I don't like waiting long for new chapters so I will try my best. 


	8. Dreaming in Blood

Disclaimer: In no way do I claim any rights to the characters of the Suikoden series. I do not own them, nor did I have any hand in creating them. Please don't sue as I don't have any money and just want to write a fanfic.  
  
Only in Dreams  
  
By: Chibi Nataku  
  
Author's Note: Speech that starts with ' instead of " means mental talking. If a conversation is going on between Yuber and the Rune, it is purely in his mind, and assume that no one else is aware of the conversation, but can see any emotion that is displayed openly by the Rune-bearer.  
  
Chapter 7: Dreaming In Blood  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Yuber groaned softly as he regained consciousness, memories of his encounter with the strange Black Knight called Natas flooding to him. Slowly, he opened his eyes, wincing as his wounded shoulder sent shockwaves of pain throughout his body. He reached a hand over to test the wound, a bit surprised to find his shoulder well bandaged and better healed than it probably should be.  
  
His eyes shot open when he heard a soft, mocking chuckle from across from him, forcing himself upright to stare at the smirking Black Knight. He growled angrily, flexing his other arm to test for any damage. "You stabbed me!"  
  
"Indeed, I did. If it makes you feel better, you aren't the first person I've stabbed without remorse and such." Natas grinned and flipped his long hair back over his shoulder, gaze fixed on the blonde in his bed. He climbed to his feet and walked almost casually over to Yuber. "We have to get you trained, kid. Running from an enemy with a back open is a bad move because most are willing to stab you there. You need sword practice badly." Natas ran a finger over the hilt of his sword fondly. "Luckily for you, kid, I've decided to train you in what you need to know. You will learn to properly use a sword, learn the tongue of this world, and learn to properly use that Rune of yours. Your training starts tomorrow morning so prepare yourself. I don't go easy on anyone."  
  
Yuber felt his eyes narrow and bared his teeth angrily. "I don't want to learn anything from you. Why should I?"  
  
Natas snorted and grabbed the blonde's throat, lifting him from the bed enough to let Yuber know that there was no option out of training. "I see little harm in you learning such things. It will give you a better understanding of the world in which you live. Besides, what wrong with learning something?"  
  
"Nothing. I just don't want to learn from you." Yuber stated, turning his face away from the silver-haired knight in the snobbish fashion that he knew that he could muster. When Natas did not react to him aside from releasing his throat, he slowly turned his gaze back to find out what the Black Knight was doing. He was a bit surprised to find the silver-haired man removing his helmet, revealing a youthful face of equal beauty as he held. He felt a bit of a loss for words as his gaze met that of blood red orbs of demonic fury, yet he could tell that the feelings were not directed at him, rather, there was hidden pain and suffering in those orbs.  
  
He felt himself silently connecting with the older man. He came to realize very quickly that probably no human had ever seen Natas' eyes as they were hidden beneath a helmet of black armour. It was in that gaze that a horrible past emerged, one that was filled with savage beatings, constant abandonment, strict discipline and training, and emotional molding. He found some parts of his own past reflecting in the gaze of Natas, some of the issues of his past that he just couldn't convey to Mia because she had never experienced it. He found that in the silent locking of gazes, there was an odd kinship between he and Natas, something that eased some of his insecurity.  
  
Yuber was a little shocked when the Eightfold Rune stepped into his consciousness and seemed to stare back at Natas. 'Well, look who it is. I might have known that you would still be wandering around here, Natas. Yet, you seem alone. Where is your master?'  
  
'Dead' Natas replied evenly.  
  
'Oh? And how did that old bastard meet his final end?' The Eightfold Rune chuckled as Yuber sat more upright in his bed, grabbing the sheets almost desperately as it was apparent that the blonde could hear Natas' voice as clearly as its. 'No need for alarm, boy. I can speak with whomever I wish in this world. Just relax and enjoy this little question period.' The spider turned its attention back to the silver-haired man. 'So, care to share details? I can assume you were there to witness it, as he never let you out of his sight.'  
  
Natas snorted and looked away from the blonde. 'She, actually.'  
  
The Eightfold Rune blinked before finally just shrugging. 'It's so difficult to tell with you Black Knights. For the longest time, I was unsure of your gender, and I even had a hand in creating you.'  
  
Yuber shook his head before finally pulling the blanket over himself as much as possible. 'This is too weird. Stop talking to one another...'  
  
'Oh, shut it, boy. Can't you see I'm currently interrogating Natas? Not another word until I'm finished with him or you'll find your tongue licking some dubious substance.' The Eightfold Rune grabbed the blonde's mind and held it firmly, all the while keeping its gaze on the Black Knight. 'Come on, come on, the boy doesn't have all century.'  
  
Natas shrugged his shoulder, a cold smirk pulling at his elegant features. 'I killed her, stabbed her in the back to be more precise. We found an old artifact sword forged from a True Rune, and, as we walked down the path and encountered some bandits, I ran her through. I then butchered the bandits without mercy and went on my not-so-merry way.' He sat back in his chair, lifting the two front legs from the floor in a show of boredom.  
  
Yuber leaned forward towards Natas, an eager grin on his face. 'You kept the sword, right? I would love to see it.'  
  
'Sorry, kid, but I got rid of it quickly. It kept thinking that it was the master and expected me to bow down to it, so I shoved it in some stone, told it where to go, and abandoned it. Probably pissed it off, but it was not like I cared.' Natas grinned back at Yuber, reaching a hand towards the blonde. 'I could show it to you, if you really wanted to.'  
  
Yuber was about to answer when the Rune suddenly interrupted in their conversation. 'Nevermind that, boy. A word to the wise, never turn your back on Natas. He is famous for stabbing one in the back; it is his specialty so be guarded. Leaving your back open, like you are so good at doing, is probably one of the worst things you can do when sparring with the whelp.'  
  
Natas chuckled coldly, his hand finally connecting with Yuber's good shoulder, pulling the blonde closer to him. 'Another word to the not-so wise, I never spar. To fully understand the complications of battle, one must fully engage in battle all the time. Besides, losing a bit of blood here and there shouldn't be too much of a problem. I generally stop fighting when my partner falls unconscious.' A cruel smirk spread across his face, his red eyes twinkling with past battles and blood baths at the hands of his victims.  
  
Yuber slowly nodded, fully understanding the implications of the silver-haired man's words. Just looking at Natas indicated his ways of proceeding in battle, which probably would leave him with more than a few wounds to nurse when he finally managed to teleport himself away again. He could only hope that his Rune would agree to help him teleport as quickly as possible. He really didn't need more wounds to wander back to Mia with. He doubted she would understand if he told her that he was stabbed by a bloodthirsty man in full-plate black armour when he accidentally teleported to another plane of existence. Frankly, it sounded quite bizarre to even him.  
  
His gaze switched back to Natas when the silver-haired man stood and tucked his helmet under one arm, their gazes meeting briefly. He understood that he was about to be left alone, for some odd reason, the concept finding its way in his mind without words being spoken. Silently, he nodded and sat back, groaning as his shoulder let out a twinge of protest. He could only watch as Natas turned, red cape sweeping over his blonde head, before disappearing into the darkness of the room, not even foot falls to let him know how far away the Black Knight was.  
  
It was then that he suddenly realized that Natas was as silent as he was, a fact that made him even more suspicious of his new surroundings. Still, he was in no mood to find out all the secrets of himself, instead, he felt more like wallowing in a bit of self-pity before sleeping.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Yuber mumbled softly, smiling at his little dream. His shoulder was feeling good, and he had had one of the most restful sleeps in the longest time. The only problem that he found in his mid-dreaming state was that he could swear that he was swimming. Odd, mostly due to the fact that he had seen little to no water in the entire land which he had treaded.  
  
Slowly, he allowed himself to let go his pleasant dream of being wrapped in Mia's loving embrace and open his eyes. Grumbling softly, he lifted a hand and rubbed sleep from his eyes, yawning deeply. Midway in rubbing his eyes, he pulled his hand back, wandering why his hand was wet. He sat bolt upright at the sight of blood covering his hand, and arm for that matter. He looked around desperately, trying to figure out where he was bleeding from, only to look down to find himself in a clay bath tub full of blood, the only indication that it was not his own was the human heart bobbing up and down merrily near his legs. He felt himself growing ill very quickly, but was unable to capitalize on vomiting as he finally noticed Natas sitting pleasantly beside him, wicked grin spread across the youthful features.  
  
"Morning, sunshine." Natas said with the most pleasant, unassuming voice he had.  
  
Yuber simply couldn't wait for himself to find his voice. He leapt up and jumped from the tub, bare feet slipping on the equally bloody floor, sending him stumbling like a fool towards the open doorway, Natas' mad cackling driving him onwards. He thankfully managed to keep from falling flat of his face, running as fast as his legs would carry him from the bathroom, stopping when he entered the room in which Natas had very obviously had his fun.  
  
He had never seen so much blood in his entire life, large quantities splashed on the walls in random patterns. The metallic odour invaded his sense of smell, the sight of large pools slowly sinking through the dirty wooden floor boards making the reality all the more harsh. His gaze swept around the room, all signs of struggling all too evident with handprints at windows and being dragged across the floor. The blood was still fresh as it made tracks down the walls and furniture, only to pool on the floor around removed fingers, hands, and undistinguishable human parts.  
  
The victim's bodies placed neatly in everyday positions around the dinner table as if a meal was about to be served and consumed. Most of the seven bodies where cut up beyond recognition, spare parts lying around the blooded room, all except their faces which looked horrified yet peaceful. Not a drop of blood was on the skin of their faces, except for the small trail of blood from their eyes, which gave the impression of crying. Each appeared to be placed in their restrictive chairs for a meal with as much of an upright posture as they could carry.  
  
Yuber felt bile rise in his throat and was about to take off again when strong arms wrapped around him, one around his waist, the other wrapping to cover his mouth, Natas' body pressing up against his. He shut his eyes as the soft sigh that left the Black Knight's lips at the sight of his handy work, the warm air rushing across his ear. He shuddered in the Black Knight's hold, all too firm to break, much like some of the holds his True Rune pinned him in. Yet, all he could do was keep his eyes close and force back images of his own family.  
  
Natas smirked at the small shivers that the younger man was letting loose, but he still held firm. This was just one of the many lessons the blonde needed to face. "Look at them, Yuber. I doubt you realize how much blood was needed to fill your bath this morning, but I did it all for you so that you could learn a very valuable lesson. Humans are weak. The weak are food for the strong. That will always be the order of things." He released his hold on Yuber's mouth, outstretching his armoured hand towards the dead family, smirking cruelly as he beckoned them back to movement. "Let us...watch the weak."  
  
Yuber was unsure why his Rune took control of him, but it forced his eyes back open, only to wish to close them again for the sight of the dead starting to cannibalize each other. He tried to look away, but Natas twisted his head back. "Don't...They shouldn't do that."  
  
"Why not? You and I are strong, and they are just weak pitiful people. No one will miss them, no one cry for them, no one will seek out revenge for them. The weak are here to allow the strong a nice cozy foothold. What's wrong with killing them? If anything, it gives them sweet release from this hell hole of a planet." Natas swiveled the blonde so that they were facing one another, leaning down so that their noses almost touched. Were he not wearing his helmet, their gazes would have probably met, but he had blocked his gaze from Yuber with metal. Still, he could see the pained looked that the blonde had, smirking when he found behind all the painful memories, a small piece of the blonde drawn to the dead, yet its interest quickly wavered. "Ah, the dead do not interest you as much as the dying do...Very interesting."  
  
Yuber shook his head in denial. "No, I hunt for food only."  
  
Natas smirked. "Really? And what about that man in the Highway Village that you murdered for the simple fact that he look upon your dear, sweet Mia? Were you hunting him for food?" He released his hold on the blonde and took a step back, looking the younger man up and down. "If that were the case, things could get interesting. I know more that my share of creatures that enjoy the taste of human flesh. Tastes like chicken, or so they say." He wrapped an arm around Yuber's shoulders, holding the younger man firmly against his armour before waving a hand that the slumping of bodies was heard. "Well, that was fun. Let's go beat each other up."  
  
Yuber merely nodded his head stupidly, wanting to be anywhere but in this death-filled house. He just wanted to find a stream and wash himself clean of both memory and blood. He followed Natas out of the house as quickly as possible, shivering as a cold breeze blew against his exposed skin; he desperately wanted to put on a shirt and boots, that and change the pants that he was currently wearing. He refused to look as the Black Knight called upon a Fire Rune and set the house ablaze. Still, he did pass a glance at Natas to see his facial expression. The same smirked marked the silver-haired man's features, one that showed his obvious superiority. He was both sickened and enchanted with that expression. "Can we leave?"  
  
"Leave? Perhaps this little lesson was a bit too hard on you, especially when taking your past experiences into mind. We have other lessons to complete today anyway." Natas pointed a hand at the blonde, concentrating as he summoned forth some of his dark powers to move them back to the World of Emptiness, sighing almost merrily. He called his blade to hand, smirking as the blonde looked around for his own sword. "No need today, kiddo. Today I get to test you so there really is no need for you having a sword. If you really want one, you'll have to take mine away from me." He grinned wickedly, giving the younger man the impression that taking his blade was a task that no one had yet managed to do.  
  
Yuber swallowed the lump in his throat and slowly nodded his head. He felt the Eightfold Rune creep forward in his consciousness. 'Um, any suggestions?'  
  
'Well, I think you're doomed today. Personally, Natas just wants to beat the snot out of you for the fun of it so try not to struggle too much. However, if you drop like a rock on the first hit, I doubt he'll stop so do give him a bit of fun, just...know your limit, boy.' The Eightfold Rune stepped back in its web, intent on watching this battle. It felt that the boy needed a good beating to show him the way of the wise, and it knew that Natas was a great Black Knight to rely on to give the boy one. The spider chuckled at the scene that Natas had created for Yuber this morning, rubbing forearms together. 'That was great. I'll have to remember that.'  
  
Yuber blinked stupidly. 'Remember what?'  
  
It was the Eightfold Rune's turn to blink. 'Nothing, boy. You have bigger, more armoured things to worry about. Oh, do dodge to the right if you want to stay conscious.' The spider broke into laughter as the blonde whelped and jumped away from the Black Knight's blade, which impacted in the ground and threw up a cloud of dust. 'Oh, this will be good. Keep on your toes, boy. Remember, don't turn your back on him.'  
  
Yuber shook his head and kept his gaze on Natas who was climbing back to his feet slowly, trying to intimidate him. He breathed in a slow breathe, trying to calm his nerves and was desperate to keep all of his focus on the Black Knight. He was baffled by Natas' speed, letting out a small cry as the flat side of the older man's sword smashed into his upper arm, groaning at the audible crack of bone. He clutched the wounded appendage, jumping back a few steps as his gaze was filled with that same cruel smirk. He took a few steps away, blinking when the Black Knight suddenly disappeared, quickly swiveling around, only to catch Nata's blade in the shoulder. However, instead of falling to one knee, he smashed the Black Knight in the back of the leg, hoping to bring Natas to one knee.  
  
He was dismayed when Natas grabbed his leg and knocked him to his back, rolling to the side just as the older man's sword smashed into the ground. He was forced to stop rolling as his wounds screamed in protest, slowly climbing back to his feet in time to catch the Black Knight's fist in the jaw, sending him sprawling again. Refusing to give up despite his injuries, he lashed out angrily, swiping Natas' feet out from under him, blinking when the older man teleported away before hitting the ground. He let out a whimper as his hair was grabbed, and he was dragged back to his feet only to be punched in the face again. He shook away the spinning world, wincing as blood began to flow over his left eye, partially blinding him. He remained prone, acting unconscious or perhaps even defeated.  
  
Natas smirked and sighed. "Poor, Yuber. How does it feel to be so weak. It didn't even take me ten minutes to defeat you." He purred as he advanced towards the injured blonde, eyes narrowing when Yuber suddenly leapt to his feet and swung a fist at him, stumbling back a few steps as the blonde's fist connected with his cheek. Chuckling softly, he wiped blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. "Obviously not as weak as some I've played with. I do believe I've underestimated you, but I will not make such a mistake again."  
  
Yuber stumbled a few steps, groaning as he clutched at his broken arm. He tried to prepare himself for Natas' next attack, but was completely shocked when a mirror image of the Black Knight appeared behind him and smashed him in the lower back, forcing him to stumble forward, only to be met with cold steel of the Black Knight as Natas smashed his stomach then the back of his head in one swift motion, sending him to blessed darkness.  
  
He knew that he had not been unconscious too long, but when he woke, he was down to pants again and most of his wounds had been tended to. Only the large black bruises on his face and shoulder were a real indication as to the brutalness of their battle. Still, as he looked around with one good eye, the other too swollen to see from, he spied Natas grinning at him in the same chair as before. "Did I amuse you?"  
  
Natas chuckled and leaned back in his chair, satisfied that the blonde was awake. "You did better than most against me. I will say that you kept me entertained longer than any I've let live." He eyed the younger man's bruised face, smirking now. "Black is really your colour, Yuber. It looks simply grand covering half of your face."  
  
Yuber had to bite back a rude comment, turning his face away from the silver-haired man. He tentatively reached up to feel the swollen flesh, wincing at the sharp pains that shot through him with a single touch. He quickly dropped the idea of investigating his wounds and just looked at Natas, waiting for the Black Knight to speak.  
  
"You need to learn the language of this world, and I'm going to teach you. After we have a little lesson here, you can do some slave labour for me." Natas smirked at the blonde's soured expression. "However, once you've done that, you'll learn some of the powers of that True Rune and some techniques that we Black Knights use. All in all, it shall be very exciting...not."  
  
Yuber slowly nodded, settling in to learn what he needed to if only to please the Black Knight and keeping the older man from beating him senseless every ten minutes. He quickly found that he settled pretty well into the routine between them. He would wake up, experience something new and usually quite horrific and brutal, then Natas would smack him around until he fell unconscious, then he would nurse his wounds while learning a new strange dialect, then slave labour would ensue, and finally, he would learn techniques used by Black Knights. He soon found it to be as regular as clock-work, quickly becoming aware of the fact that Natas never slept or ate food, some habits he found himself losing interest in.  
  
By the end of three months, he had come to accept the lessons as normal. He had grown used to Natas' cunning if not extremely grotesque morning of showing him interesting murders or crimes, not all of them committed by the Black Knight. After some wandering, he would battle with the silver-haired man, greatly thankful when his skills began to improve under the Black Knight's tutelage. Afternoons consisted of language lessons and some talk about Runes then it would be on to learning new techniques, some of which were more difficult than others. Soon, brute labour was left out, mostly because it took the Black Knight longer to knock him unconscious. By the time two months had passed, he needed very little sleep, rarely ate, and the rest of his time was spent training heavily.  
  
One thing that surprised more his True Rune more than himself was the fact that Natas was a very good teacher, somehow always finding patience when the Eightfold Rune would be scolding him ruthlessly. Yuber could not remember a time when the Black Knight did not spend extra time explaining something that he did not understand. It was a characteristic that brought Yuber a bit closer to the silver-haired man, but his Rune muttered it as a weakness that Natas had. Still, their routine went on and his teaching was much easier under the Black Knight than the True Rune which had little patience for explaining things.  
  
He was a bit surprised when he woke up to find Natas standing instead sitting. He looked around, trying to figure what was different to make the Black Knight changed their routine. Slowly, he climbed to his feet, cocking his head to the side questionably. "What's wrong?"  
  
Natas grinned cruelly. "Small change from now on. We're going to kill people, a lot of people."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
TeeHee, finally done! Happy, happy, I am. Well, the change for Yuber is finally on and hopefully I will do it well. This next chapter make take a bit longer because I wish to do the next one carefully. So, hope you all enjoyed and please read and review. 


	9. No Longer a Dream

Disclaimer: In no way do I claim any rights to the characters of the Suikoden series. I do not own them, nor did I have any hand in creating them. Please don't sue as I don't have any money and just want to write a fanfic.  
  
Only in Dreams  
  
By: Chibi Nataku  
  
Author's Note: Speech that starts with ' instead of " means mental talking. If a conversation is going on between Yuber and the Rune, it is purely in his mind, and assume that no one else is aware of the conversation, but can see any emotion that is displayed openly by the Rune-bearer.  
  
Chapter 8 - No Longer a Dream  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Natas glanced over his shoulder at the blonde, smirked etched his features. It had taken him a bit of time to convince the younger man into coming with him for a small but now daily adventure. He thought that it was time for Yuber to get back out into the world and learn skills that he himself could not readily teach without the help of mortals. He wished to see the blonde in action against a mortal, if only for his own amusement, but he could do better to point out the younger man's mistakes watching instead of beating him.  
  
He glanced over his armoured shoulder to gaze at the slowly trudging blonde, a cold smirk tugging at his pale lips. He had worked hard to bring Yuber up in his skills, not getting much help from the True Rune which would have rather angered the younger man into learning things. He was pleased now that Yuber knew everything he had to teach, instead, now Natas just needed to get the younger man some practice with moving targets. Moving targets would be easy to find, however, mortals that Yuber would kill without forcing him was something completely different. Still, he had all the time he needed to figure things out and convince Yuber the ways of the younger man's new world. Soon, he would give the blonde some armour to wear.  
  
Yuber gazed at the silver-haired Black Knight's back, his eyes following the various folds of the crimson cape that seemed as alive as he was. He was trying to figure out why he had stayed so long under Natas' tutelage as he normally would not stay around under some of the conditions of his training. He couldn't remember a time when he had received so much damage to his body or even his mind, as Natas was very good at twisting his words against him. Yet, he never once felt the need to leave, could actually not think of something that would drive him away.  
  
He had come the conclusion that part of the reason was that he had never had a male friend that he could connect with. Sure, he never minded the men that Mia often knew and traveled with, but he had never become friends with them; really, Mia was his only real friend. Yet, now with Natas, he felt like they were so alike. He never had to say anything about himself for the Black Knight to strike up conversation with him; rather, they would often talk about swords, world events, and even Mia. For as much talking as they had done, very few personal details had ever been brought up. He really knew nothing about Natas' past, except for the fact that the older man had endured a harder upbringing in Black Knighthood than he had. He found that the Black Knight was one of those types of people that could make absolute gibberish seem like a casual conversation that caught all attention. In silence, there was a strange comfort that surrounded Natas, one that he could assume only reached him as all other creatures of the World of Emptiness avoided contact with the Black Knight. Even mortals seemed to recoil at his approach.  
  
Yuber grunted in surprise when he suddenly ran into Natas, taking a sudden step back when the Black Knight's cape wrapped around him almost lovingly. He stared at the material as it seemed to whisper to him, his gaze shifted up to meet demonic blood orbs narrowed accusingly. He took another step back, if only to put more distance between himself and the reaching cape. "Sorry, lost in thought..."  
  
Natas quirked an eyebrow and turned to regard the blonde fully, a cruel smirk still marking his elegant features. "Losing oneself in thought is one of the worst ways to face defeat. Our purpose here is to show the weakness of those we kill, so leave the thinking for the World of Emptiness."  
  
Yuber nodded obediently, knowing that not reacting was one of the best ways of attracting Natas' sword the back of his head. "What are you looking for anyway? We've been walking for two hours." He tried to keep from whining, but it really couldn't be helped. He hadn't walked at that fast pace for a very long time.  
  
"I look for nothing. We were tracking our pray, nothing more. We are practically on top of it now so quiet your tongue." Natas turned his back to Yuber once more, his gaze fixed directly on the deeply wooded house so far from the road that no one would even think of looking for it. His gaze slipped to the ground before he slowly shook his head. "Yuber, you had better not be getting lazy. If you are, I will correct it. To give in to weakness of aching feet is something that I will not tolerate."  
  
Yuber blinked and looked away from Natas, mind scrambling for something to say that would not get him punished. He was actually glad when his True Rune piped up in both of their minds. 'Forget aching feet and let's kill something. It's been too long since the boy has had a mouth full of blood.'  
  
Natas quirked a questioning eyebrow at the Eightfold spider. 'What are you babbling about, useless spider? Why just yesterday...'  
  
'Not his own blood, ungrateful demon!' The spider seethed back at Natas. 'And watch your mouth, Black Knight! I will be your undoing if you persist with name-calling. You are just as frail as any other creature that dares to speak against the 27 Runes. The only real reason you still exist is because of your dodging skills.'  
  
'Indeed. I seem to have a knack for staying alive.' Natas replied, his interest wavering to the Eightfold Rune. His gaze turned back to the log cabin, studying the exterior carefully for any sign of traps.  
  
Yuber softly chuckled at the obvious tension between Natas and the True Rune. He knew that they hated one another, a bitter battle of wills that seemed to date back a lot further than his own lifetime. He had noticed more and more that the spider and the Black Knight disliked one another as time went by; he thought that it may have something to do with the fact that he preferred to spend time with Natas rather than the Eightfold Rune. The Rune never did like to be ignored, especially when it meant losing out to one as arrogant as Natas.  
  
Natas turned to regard the blonde, Yuber's first taste of weakness coming up soon. He smirked evilly, allowing his non-human qualities to show through clearly. "Yuber, it is time. What do you hear?"  
  
Yuber cocked his head in slight confusion. He strained his ears to hear what the Black Knight was obviously listening to, eventually picking out the high pitched screams of a woman in the distance. "I hear screaming." He sighed when Natas continued to stare at him. "A woman, possibly in her thirties and a fair distance away." He smirked when the Black Knight nodded and pointed at the cabin. "Ah, the trees mask the screams and make them seem further than they actually are."  
  
"Very perceptive. It took you so long I might have grown old and died were I not an ageless demon." Natas ignored the blonde's very obvious glare at his comment, a cruel smirk twisting into an almost pleasant smile. He started towards the cabin, examining it as they drew closer. Certainly, these men had been terrorizing people long enough that Yuber would love to get shot in on them. He had chosen well.  
  
Yuber grumbling that the screams were music to Natas' ears and looked everywhere but their intended target, though he did find his gaze travelling along the various traps that been set out to stop any intruders, although most of the simple traps had long since stopped working. Those that did still appear to work were so obvious that even a blind man could stumble his way around them. He snorted as he stepped over one trap, shifting his attention to the cabin in front of him.  
  
It had seen better days for sure. The logs were dark and wet, dark green moss growing over a substantial part of the walls and sagging roof. The windows were white will mildew stains and steam from the occupants of the house, one frame shattered and poorly covered again. The smell of rotting wood would have encouraged any normal people to abandon the cabin for a better spot that was closer to the road and out from the thick brush that rested against the logs. Around the cabin was mostly decomposed animal corpses and various fragments of cloth and broken weapons, giving away an eerie feeling of the surrounding woods. Only an axe plunged deep into a stump with a blooded handle truly indicated the intent of this place, a grave for many and hell for a few.  
  
Yuber felt his lip curl in disgust, the urge to cover his ears from the shrill, pleading screams almost too much for him to listen to. His past clawed forward, a brief image of his mother's ravaged-blooded body flashing into his mind only moments before Natas grabbed his shoulder and started dragging him towards to door. It was only then that he noted that Natas' sword was drawn.  
  
Natas released the blonde's shoulder when he reached the beaten oak door, wasting no time to kick the brittle wood inwards, stepping inside instantly to block any occupants from escaping. His demonic gaze easily found the naked three men, a cruel smirk quickly finding its way back on his lips. He watched as two of the men stumbled to their feet in obvious shock to his dramatic entrance, revealing to the world to sobbing, equally naked woman who they had been pitting their attention on. He glanced back when he felt Yuber's presence enter the cabin, wanting to see the blonde's reaction to this situation. He was satisfied with the flicker of sickness in Yuber's blue eyes.  
  
"Wh-Who the hell are you?" One of the men screamed, the obvious leader of the trio. He seemed a little less shocked than his companions and appeared to put up some height to obviously scare off the intruders to his fun.  
  
"You are about to die so it is pointless that you know my name, pitiful human." Natas replied coolly, chuckling at the sound of steel being removed from a sheathe from behind him. He turned his gaze back to Yuber whose demeanor was now filled with utter rage at this scene, an obvious nerve to the blonde's past. His attention wavered in Yuber when he knew that the blonde would attack. "You gentlemen have been naughty little boys. I do believe it is time that you felt a little punishment for your actions. Yuber, would you like to do the honours for me?"  
  
Yuber slowly nodded as he stepped out from behind Natas, glaring at each man separately. He was aware of the Rune's gentle pushes that he take action, and, under normal circumstances, he would refuse such advice. However, these were not normal circumstances.  
  
He was barely aware of his own actions, aside from the silent tears that slipped down his cheeks as he attacked. He simply could not allow such men to get away with their atrocities. No one deserved to suffer as his mother, Liza, and...Diana had; he had lived through the nightmare of watching them in death, only imagining what they indured during the last moments of their lives. He was cried for weeks for Liza to hold him while he slept, shrieked in violent temper-tantrums that only Diana had managed to calm, and refused all good behaviour to spite the fact that his mother could no longer spank him. No matter what he did, he could never fill that empty void that only gruesome rape victims could, only wander in his dreams to lie with his ravaged family. No, these foul beasts simply COULD NOT get away with doing this!  
  
The screams of terror, scrambling bodies, and spraying blood only excited his fenzy for a small piece of revenge. He put all of the brutal images that he had lived with for so long, some from his families murder while others were thanks to Nata's imagination, to the best use that he could coherently think of. He only stopped when the house had grown cold his to senses and the sound of soft applause was all that he could hear aside from his taxed breathing. He forced his nerves to calm and his gaze to survey the damage that he had done.  
  
In some ways, it was an image that stepped directly from his worst nightmare, blood smeared all over the floor, the rotting furniture, even the walls and windows. Where blood was not smeared, it was splattered in a random pattern that slipped to mingle in the moist moss that had managed to take root in cracks of the walls. The bodies, what was left of them, could really not be identified as male or female, various appendages, hair, and organs thrown off of the stumps that could be called torsos. Each had eventually reached the point of dismemberment, but it was obvious in the animalistic fashion that the act had been down out of pure rage. Only the single cowering woman still moved in the room of utter death.  
  
Yuber breathed in the air deeply, enjoying for a brief moment the metallic scent of blood and with it, the feeling a bittersweet revenge. He closed his eyes, feeling every spot of ruby liquid on his flesh and clothing. For a moment in time, he felt the aftermath of the chaos that had insued, shivering at the pleasurable feeling of the few spirits in the area fleeing. Then, there was emptiness again....  
  
"If you strove to impress me, then I must say that you did a very good job, Yuber. Your first real kills." Natas chuckled when Yuber slowly turned to look at him, gesturing around the room. "Your lesson is over."  
  
Yuber nodded and turned back to get one last look around the room, his gaze settling on the blooded woman who stared at him with fearful, yet strangely thankful eyes. He felt Natas stop beside him and glanced over to the Black Knight whose expression was surprisingly serious. "What about her? We should take her to a town to rest." He commented, casting a side-ways glance to the woman who was climbing slowly to her feet.  
  
Natas cocked his head the side, lifting his chin enough to meet the gaze of this woman, smirking to find empty, fearful orbs of chocolate brown. He knew that this woman would not see the light of another day even if he did let her live; she was broken of will and just wanting sweet release. "She lies with the others before her. She is already dead. Kill her, Yuber."  
  
"Kill her? No, she needs a doctor!" Yuber insisted.  
  
"Still clinging to your human side are you, boy? Look at her! Would you not let your sisters or even your mother have the honour of death in a quiet cabin, or would you subject them to the agony of facing the scornful looks of their peers?" Natas watched the blonde's gaze cloud with confusion, a silent battle of morals ruling every thought that passed through Yuber's mind. Natas waited for the blonde to come to a conclusion, their gazes meeting briefly before he snorted and stabbed the woman so brutally that she died before even hitting the ground. This displeased him as he looked at his blade. "Hmm, a bit too rough with that jab."  
  
Yuber was not shocked when Natas finished the woman; rather he was surprised that the silver-haired Knight killed her in one move. It was very unlike Natas to kill simply, rather, the Black Knight enjoyed every moment of the kill, much like he just had minutes ago. Yet, he remained quiet, instead, he felt his tongue flick out and touch the blood that had splattered on his lips, instantly ashamed that he enjoyed the taste.  
  
Natas smirked at Yuber and turned away, walking from the house slowly. He felt the blonde tagging at his heels, sighing when they once more entered the dense forest brush. He resheathed his blade after cleaning it of blood, turning to regard Yuber again. "Come, our lessons will continue back in the other world."  
  
"Do we have to go back so soon?" Yuber was more shocked at his own words than anyone else, but he could not find it in himself to regret saying it. He was quite ashamed that he could not blame the question on the Eightfold Rune, which had been murmuring occasional happy thoughts his way. He was well aware of what the question really meant; he wanted that bittersweet taste of revenge again.  
  
Natas felt his lips curl in a smug smile. "You wish to stay here?" He chuckled when Yuber slowly nodded. "Very well, we will have some more play time while the day is young! Come, we will slay the weak if only to amuse ourselves!"  
  
Yuber cocked his head to the side, gaze going a bit distant. "How is killing a bunch of rapists killing the weak? Just killing the woman would have been slaying the weak, would it not?"  
  
"Ah, very good question, Yuber. Perhaps your happy-little Rune would like to cover this lesson, hmm?" Natas smirked when he felt the Eightfold Rune come to light in his own mind and mutter various curses in his direction, not because it wanted him to tell Yuber the reason, rather, it appeared to only be because it came from him. 'Oh, shut it and tell the boy! He doesn't have all day.'  
  
'I swear, Natas! One more word out of you, and the boy will have your head as well!' The giant spider spat at the Black Knight. It would soon find it in its best interests to remove Natas from its presence; it was beginning to think of too many fun things it could do to the silver-haired demon. He growled angrily and turned its attention back to the blonde. 'Now, where were we, boy?'  
  
Yuber could only shake his head and pick at his quickly drying shirt. 'My question?'  
  
'Ah, yes!' The Eightfold Rune waited for Natas to speak up to harass it and was quite thankful when the Black Knight held his tongue. 'You must understand, boy, compared to us, everything is weak. The weak were created for the sole purpose of supporting the strong on their grand climb to greatness. That woman was very weak, about on par with the men that were raping her, however, those who are weak seem to find strength in groups. They mask their own weakness by attacking others with sheer numbers.'  
  
Yuber cocked his head to the side and slowly nodded, his gaze moving to where Natas was attempting to set the cabin on fire the old fashion way. 'So, those who attack in a large group are equally as weak?'  
  
The Eightfold Rune nodded. 'Yes, why do you think that armies do so well? When one finds strength to kill others, so too do those that follow directly in his footsteps. Likewise, when one flees in terror, his weakness compels other to follow him. Only the truly strong can withstand the cowardice stench of pitiful men.' The spider moved forward in the blonde's consciousness, tuning out Natas who seemed more of distraction than anything. 'We are strong, boy. What you did in there only asserted your right to rule and kill all those that dare step into your path. Do not hesitate to remove all obstacles to absolute greatness.'  
  
'You mean, the point where I transcend?' Yuber was starting to get used to the fact that his Rune would rant and rave of transcention at least once a day. He was ready for that rant now, wanting to get it over and done with.  
  
The spider chuckled cruelly. 'I suppose we could talk about that. But let me ask you this, boy...how does the blood taste to your lips? How did the feeling of complete and utter control make you feel? The chaos of the situation, of the screaming, the struggles of life, and the human weakness...what did you feel in there?'  
  
Yuber was about to argue the point that he had committed such vile acts to appease the small part of his soul that craved the taste of revenge for his lost family when he merely stopped and remained silent. It had felt good, very good. He was ashamed of how much pleasure he had taken from the weakness of those men. For the first time in his life, he could not deny his lessons. Those men had been weak and had needlessly taken advantage of other people to take pleasure in their sick desires.  
  
The Eightfold Rune chuckled when the blonde remained silent, Yuber's answer all too clear to it. It rubbed forearms together almost happily, having waited for this moment for a very long time. Soon, the boy would fall under the plans of Fate. 'Killing people can always feel good, boy. We just need to practice it more often, hm? How about we start today and work forward towards finally transcending?'  
  
'I will kill those that desire death.' Yuber replied, turning around to find Natas muttering to himself, only picking up the occasional curse. Obviously, the Black Knight's plan to start a fire had gone awry. 'Only those who commit atrocities shall fall by my hand.'  
  
'But who are you to judge who deserves life or death, boy?' The spider asked quietly, silken strands of deception weaving silently.  
  
Yuber stopped his reply and blinked in confusion. Who was he to decide such a thing? Yet, as he looked around, his gaze usually straying to Natas, he could not come up with a reason as to why the Black Knight deserved to kill indiscriminately. 'Who is Natas to decide life and death for people?'  
  
The Eightfold Rune chuckled as Yuber feel into its trap. 'Natas is not human; he has risen above the point where he questions himself. He moves throughout the ages killing whoever he pleases simply because he will not allow weakness to slow his movements.' It wrapped arms around the blonde, dragging Yuber more deeply into his consciousness. 'Death is inevitable, boy. Every human dies, just some know how to preserve themselves for a longer life than others. It is not up to us who decides life and death; rather, Fate herself is the only one that knows the true answers to the delicate balance. We remove those who are weak and in our way to preserve our own life. Natas is one creature that has over-stepped the boundaries of human emotion, transcended if you will in a sense.'  
  
'Natas...has transcended...?' Yuber looked over to Natas who was walking around the cabin still muttering. He saw what the Rune was talking about just looking at the demon. Every step, every look, every movement of silky silver hair, all of it spelled non-human characteristics. There had always been a slyness to Natas, yet at the same time, a silent pull towards him. Yuber had never been able to decide what that pull was that attracted him to the Black Knight until now. He felt it now, felt the silent subconscious molding of himself to reach a point where he too would step forward to embrace a more non-human way of life.  
  
Natas growled as he walked back to where Yuber stood silent, frustrated that he could not get a normal flame with all the wet material that was lying around. He was about to voice to obvious dismay when he felt the air around the blonde shift, stopping dead in his tracks. His gaze narrowed as a wave of chaos brushed passed him before slowly nodding to himself. So, the True Rune had finally won a small battle. In some ways, he could not really believe it, mostly because Yuber was so set on his morals and only hinted at transcention. 'So, my time draws closer, does it? Well, I'll the make the best out of the boy long before that day confronts me.'  
  
'You'd better, demon.' The Eightfold Rune whispered in the back of Natas' mind. 'Your time draws closer in a speed that you doubt yourself. You will be dead and out of my way finally. However, I must thank you for your help with the boy. All you need to do is finish the job and all will end smoothly.'  
  
Natas felt his expression go serious and snarled at the True Rune. 'Better to end it than be ruled over. I will be ruled by nothing, back-stabbing beast!'  
  
It was the spider's turn to snarl. 'Indeed, I found that out the hard way! You're lucky I didn't have you killed by Miku all those years ago. You may have been my first bearer, Natas, but I will make sure that you end as all others that will pass in front of you.'  
  
Natas blocked the Rune from speaking any more in his mind, a trick he had learned very early on in his True Rune bearing days. He was glad that it was over and all he now needed to do was teach Yuber the final ways of being a cruel, immoral demon that plagued the world. He shook his head and brushed back silver locks from his neck, raising a hand and snapping his fingers, smirking when the house behind him exploded in flames. His blood red gaze fell on Yuber who was watching him silently. "Come, we have things to do Yuber."  
  
Yuber nodded silently, every bit aware of most of the conversation that had taken place between Natas and the Eightfold Rune. He would have never dreamed to met up with another True Rune bearer, at least one that had been abandoned by a Rune. He followed the Black Knight back to the dirt path silently, aware that Natas was in no mood to speak with him.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Days quickly passed to weeks and soon enough the weeks moved into months. Yuber found that he grudgingly fit into the new schedule of murder. He had watched his resolve and mortals slowly crumbling before him as time washed over him and Natas drew him out into the world of weak people.  
  
At first, it had been just murders and rapists along with only the most vile of crimes. He ended those lives willingly, never once stopping to think of his actions mostly because those people feel far below any sort of human qualities that deserved life. However, soon vile crimes turned into less horrific, some almost petty such as theft or abuse, yet it had been long enough that any crime seemed enough to spite his blade. Yet, he still refused to kill children and most women.  
  
It was weird to think that he had killed so many people, never really stopping to think of the people that they could be leaving behind. He soon never let such things weigh on his mind, rather, he found himself growing fond of the feeling of terror, the abrupt chaos that insued with the life and death struggle, usually always craving more after he had killed. Most of his cravings were easily controlled, mostly because the only other individual nearby would be Natas. Yet, the moment that he stepped foot on a battlefield that was over a border line, he felt the rush of seduction, the utter pleasure of feeling so much distress and disarray. It was then that he realized that he was addicted to chaos.  
  
He found his attention span shortening, his temper moving more forward in his consciousness as each day passed. He became drawn to three things, chaos, Natas, and thoughts of Mia. He easily asserted his authority over the monsters that resided in the World on Emptiness, most bending to his orders, all except Natas who still reserved all his dignity. The Black Knight only now matched his skill with a blade and their duels lasted for long hours, sometimes even stretching into days.  
  
Yet, he never forgot the one part of himself that remained human, the small thoughts that strayed over his lover. He wished that he could see her, show her just how strong he could be for both of them. He doubted that she would agree with some of the skills that he had learned while under Natas, but if he could use them to protect Mia, he would. Soon, he knew that the day drew close for him to return to the world of his birth, could feel it creeping forward.  
  
He was not surprised when the day finally came, only surprised in the manner that it did. He had never seen Natas out of his armour, could really only fathom what the silver-haired demon looked like. Yet, as he stepped from the shadow to greet a new day in the World of Emptiness, his gaze found Natas wearing only black breeches and long sleeved red shirt, clothing that had very obviously been worn years before. At first, he did not understand why Natas had his back to him and was leaning on the Black Knight blade that the silver-haired demon always carried. Then, it became all too clear. "This is it...?"  
  
Natas slowly nodded as he turned to face Yuber, his normal smug expression gone. "The rules are simple, Yuber." He gestured all around at the empty space that they normally battled. "Either I kill you, or you kill me. All else is fair in this game."  
  
TBC...  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Geez, took me long enough to write this chapter? I think so. Sorry about the wait for it to be posted. I got a little busy with College and such so I did the best that I could. Hopefully, I will have the next chapter up a lot sooner, but with the way some of my classes are going, it may not happen. 


	10. Return from Bliss

Disclaimer: In no way do I claim any rights to the characters of the Suikoden series. I do not own them, nor did I have any hand in creating them. Please don't sue as I don't have any money and just want to write a fanfic.  
  
Only in Dreams  
  
By: Chibi Nataku  
  
Author's Note: Speech that starts with ' instead of " means mental talking. If a conversation is going on between Yuber and the Rune, it is purely in his mind, and assume that no one else is aware of the conversation, but can see any emotion that is displayed openly by the Rune-bearer.  
  
Chapter 8 - Return from Bliss  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Yuber could feel that this battle would be different, could smell it in the air. The metallic scent that seemed to be associated with Natas was no longer present, instead, only a former True Rune bearer with nothing to lose. The fact that the Black Knight wore no armour unnerved him more than anything did because it gave him a good look at just how human the silver-haired man seemed to have once been.  
  
Long silver hair traveled down to Natas' ankles and still carried that life of its own, some strands moving without command towards him as if to wish a battle of its own against him. The Black Knight was easily his height yet he seemed so much smaller wearing normal attire with a well-muscled form and unblemished tanned flesh. The long silk red shirt hung loosely around the silver haired man, as if Natas had lost more than a little weight over the years and managed to develop into a wiry but very agile young man. The black breeches were simple and close fitting, yet Yuber could see intricate black embroidery patterns that covered the waist and delved down beneath the Black Knight's mid-thigh black leather boots. Natas seemed all too human, except for his eyes. Blood red orbs still held the same commanding presence that would have entire armies cowering before him, the flame of hatred and demonic fury burning no less brightly than the day Yuber met the Black Knight.  
  
Yet, in those eyes, behind all of the hate, anger, and demonic qualities, Yuber could see a young boy sitting in a corner of the Black Knight's mind, crying. The boy's hair had been chopped short with a dull sword and hung at uneven lengths, clothing that was all too large was literally clinging to the boy's figure, only the sheer will of the material holding it in place. Dark bruises, scraps and long scars marred the child, a tale of a tragic past. The boy was rocking himself slowly, in a world all his own while staring at the back of his little right hand. On the flesh flickered the True Rune of chaos, the Eightfold Rune. Yuber could hear the Rune's whispers of 'kill them', 'burn it all the ground', 'you don't know pain yet, boy'. He shuddered and withdrew his gaze.  
  
"Don't pity me, Yuber." Natas purred almost contently. He knew that Fate had already proclaimed his death. He shifted his weight from leaning on his sword to standing fully upright, gaze fixed on the cobalt depths of the younger man. "I enjoyed every moment of the beatings that I endured all those years."  
  
Yuber could feel his eyebrows go skyward. "How could you enjoy that, Natas?"  
  
Natas chuckled softly, brushing stray silver hair from his eyes. "Quite simply, it made me into the sadistic bastard that you know and love. Oh yes!" He took a step towards Yuber, raising his long blade into an attacking position. "Don't love me because I'm beautiful, Yuber; love me because I'm evil and kill me."  
  
Yuber shook his head slightly. "I can't kill you, Natas. You know that as well as I do." He drew his blade and prepared to parry any attack that was thrown his way by the Black Knight.  
  
"Oh, poor little Yuber has grown attached to me? Well, we will just have to severe that bond now won't we? I refuse to bond myself to anyone." Natas felt his cocking smirk falter briefly and let out a soft sigh, as if the weight of the entire world rested upon his shoulders again. "No more talk now. We finish our duel that will end in death for one of us. Come, if you are man enough to face me."  
  
Natas did not bother to give Yuber time to reply to him, mostly because the longer he spoke with the blonde, the less resolve he had to butcher the younger man. He had grown fond of Yuber, something that had somehow managed to sneak up on him while his attention was on other matters. He had been fond of nothing in his entire life, living only for revenge, murder, and himself. The only thing he was truly fond of was his sword, and it was a mere material object that had managed to keep him warm on the vile nights of beatings and rapes. Still, he could no longer deny the fact that he enjoyed Yuber's company, had felt more human with the blonde than he had since the first memories came to him as a child. He found his attachment to Yuber dangerous, wanting to be rid of it if only to satisfy his craving to be free of the rule of anyone. He had defeated whole armies, slay his mentor, and even forced a True Rune that was born with him to flee his strong will; yet, there stood a young man that attracted his attention and sated his small need for brief companionship. He forced himself to hate Yuber for it, too. The sooner he was killed, the better for them both.  
  
"Natas!" Yuber shouted as the silver-haired demon charged him, grunting as Natas' blow nearly sent him flying because of the sheer power behind it. He growled as he was slowly forced to one knee, the grinding of steel against steel fading as he tried to decide the best course of action. He let out a small cry as Natas' leg shot out and slammed into his chest, sending him flat on his back, gasping as he caught sight of the sharp edge of the silver-haired man's sword seconds before his mind acted.  
  
Natas smirked and turned around, eyeing Yuber as the younger man reappeared into existence behind him. He urged his Rage rune into existence, pointing at a bewildered Yuber as flames surrounded the blonde. He slowly approached, forcing himself to enjoy the sounds of the younger man's agonized cries of pain, nodding slowly to himself when the flames left to reveal a pile of ash. He barely caught the flash of moment to his left, grunting in pain as the blonde's sword smashed into his upper arm, the familiar feeling of shattering bone making him fall to one knee. "Hmmm, hit harder than I thought you would...." He climbed back to his feet and faced the blonde, smirking when Yuber merely stared at him.  
  
'Boy, kill him. He's not worth your effort, and you know it. Finish the poor creature off so his suffering will end.' Yuber watched Natas charge towards him, sighing when the Black Knight teleport in behind him, a move that Natas had always been fond of. He swiveled, preparing to parry the obvious slash, gasping when Natas teleported again to remain behind him. He let out a grunt of pain as he caught a thin line of the blade as he too teleported away, shaking his head when he reappeared nearby, ignoring the feeling of warm blood soaking into his shirt. 'So, when are you going to start trying, boy? You know as well as I do that Natas will fall easily to you.'  
  
'I can't...he's my fri...'  
  
'Friend! Natas is no one's friend! He is an evil, blood-thirsty demon who lives for nothing but his own desires, never stopping to think about the creatures he massacres. He will not hold any feeling for you if you die at his hand, boy. You are stronger than he is so destroy him!' The Eightfold Rune watched from the blonde's consciousness, releasing a small portion of its power to drive Natas back, if only to make itself feel better about the reservation that Yuber had about killing the Black Knight. It wanted nothing more than to feel Natas' blood run over its body, to finally remove the one creature that had managed to overtake it in control. Natas would fall; it would be sure of that.  
  
Natas growled when the True Rune stepped in to aid the blonde. He was at a severe disadvantage if the Eightfold Rune decided to play apart in his demise, mostly because he had promised it just before it had abandoned him that he would never fall to its control. Slowly, he was coming to realize that the True Rune would win, something that would only drive him mad with frustration in whatever place was after this plane of existence. Still, he would fight as hard as he could to face defeat with some honour to himself.  
  
He reached and touched his broken arm, grinding his teeth as pain shot up his arm and down his back. "I will not go quietly...I know how to fight dirty..." He tightened his grip on his sword, looking around to find some aspect of the environment that he could use to his advantage, slowly running his foot over the ground, pretending to ready himself to an attack, smirking cruelly when the blonde fell into his trap, stepping back when Yuber teleported in front of him, their swords meeting with equal strength, despite the fact that he could only utilize one of his arms. He chuckled softly seconds before he lashed out, his leg sweeping Yuber off steady feet. To prevent the blonde from merely teleporting away from him, as their swords left connection, he smashed the hilt of his blade into the Yuber's face, sending the blonde crashing to the ground in an unceremonious heap. He would have finished Yuber right there had the blonde not thrown dust into his face, blinding him partially.  
  
Yuber refused to miss a beat, his anger and frustration now driving him to win. He ignored the pain on his broken cheek bone as with it the blood that flowed freely down his face, and instead, he lashed out, his foot smashing into the silver haired man's midsection, forcing Natas back a few steps. He leapt to his feet, clutching at the blade that sung for blood. He charged in, his blade swing with such venomous anger that is would surely sunder Natas' weapon should the Black Knight parry him. He was not surprised when the silver-haired man teleported out of his reach, their gazes locking.  
  
"So, now you fight." Natas commented, sounding much too bored for his own liking. He rubbed more dirt from his eyes and shrugged his shoulder, ignoring his protesting arm. "I suppose I had better start trying now."  
  
"I won't lose." Yuber growled back to the Black Knight. He readied his blade, jumping back enough to avoid the flames that suddenly leapt from the ground below where his feet once were, smirking at Natas' slightly frustrated look. To say that Natas was good with his Rage rune was quite an understatement, but Yuber knew that his own strengths lay with the Lightning rune. He lifted his left hand and summoned up some power from his lightning rune, sending a bolt straight at the silver-haired man, blinking when Natas parried the electricity with his sword and sent it off to his left. He felt the True Rune claw forward in his mind, desperate to take another shot at Natas, but Yuber ignored its plea, promising it a shot later.  
  
Natas sighed heavily as Yuber suddenly teleported behind him, swiveling on one foot to face the blonde one more, their blades slamming so hard that sparks few from the grinding metal. He leapt back a few feet as Yuber shoved away from him, smirking when the blonde attacked again. He slipped beside each intended hit, losing only a few hairs to Yuber's skilled blade, parrying any attack that dared get too close to him. He shot a leg out during the blonde's last attack, smashing Yuber's knee, forcing to blonde to fall all the while, he raised his blade, striking low and hard, grinning at the feel of steel meeting flesh.  
  
Yuber bit his lip hard enough to draw blood to prevent a cry of pain escaping him as Natas' blade cut into his side. In revenge for the act, his own blade shot up, catching the Black Knight in the shoulder before swiping the silver-haired man's leg out from under him, surprised when Natas' hold on his blade slipped away and the weapon went flying off. He leapt after the Black Knight when Natas teleported away from him, cursing his luck as the silver-haired man backflipped back into existence in time to catch the still sailing weapon. He kept charging though, intent on finishing their battle. 'Let's finish this.'  
  
'Now you are starting to talk sense, boy.' Yuber beckoned the True Rune into life in his right hand, tendrils of black energy crackling up beneath Natas' feet moments before sticky black webbing leapt from the ground and latched onto to the Black Knight's legs and midsection, preventing any sort of escape. His gaze locked with Natas' shocked one moments before he impaled the silver-haired man, immediately removing the blade and wrapping arms around the Black Knight to steady him. "Natas...?"  
  
"...I suppose I should tell you that you did a good job, but I frankly don't feel you deserve it." Natas leaned heavily on Yuber, wrapping an arm around the blonde's neck to support his own weight, an idle thought that he could still snap the younger man's neck like a twig if he so desired. The thought leaked from existence as quickly as his blood now did. "I...suppose I should thank you. I would have never been able to leave this horrible existence if you hadn't come along...."  
  
Yuber slowly sank to the ground, pulling the Black Knight to his chest, his hand searching out the mortal wound and applying pressure. "Natas...this isn't the best of times, but I just wanted you to know that you are my only real friend...It sounds stupid, I know, but..."  
  
"I've never been called someone's friend before....Stupid...human emotions...." Natas chuckled softly, groaning when his laughter turned into a violent cough. Sure, he could try to force himself to heal the wound and lie unconscious for a few days, but he knew that the power of the True Rune that still wrapped around his legs prevented any sort of healing. The Eightfold Rune wanted him dead, and it would be sure to drain as much power from him as it could while he still lived. He shivered in pain. "If I knew that dying was this bad...I might have had pity on the thousands that died by my hand..."  
  
Yuber forced a smile on his face. "I highly doubt that."  
  
Natas smiled passed the blood running from his mouth. "Me too. You are the only one who will know what a demon looks like when he dies. I wonder...if there is a place for someone like me?" He felt his body being pulled closer by the blonde, a fond smile pulling at his lips. "Amuse me, Yuber. Where do you think people like us go?"  
  
Yuber looked down at the silver-haired man and shrugged his shoulders, his gaze growing distant as he tried to reflect on some of the lore that Mia had once taught him about the afterlife. "Mia used to say that those who needed to improved on their lives would enter the cycle of reincarnation."  
  
"Ah, Mia...You will go back to her, won't you?" Natas grinned when Yuber nodded almost shyly at him, a small blush creeping into the blonde's cheeks at the mention of seeing the lost love again. He let out a pained sigh, looking down at the sword in his hand. "I think I'd rather just not exist if I have to endure living again...."  
  
"Natas?" Yuber asked quietly.  
  
"Yes...?"  
  
"Why did you choose to fight me?" Yuber noted the increasingly laboured breathes that the Black Knight was starting to take, a sickened churning in his stomach making him refuse to meet the silver-haired man's gaze.  
  
Natas remained silent for probably a little too long, mostly because the blonde suddenly started to shake his shoulders. "I'm not dead yet..." He whispered through clenched teeth, setting up immediate mind barriers as the True Rune's voice started to echo in his mind. He refused to be taunted in his dying moments, rather, he wanted as much dignity as possible. "I... had to fight you, Yuber. You had managed to get past all my carefully laid traps and weaseled your way into my life. I...am fond of you, something that would destroy all that I am. I can love and care for nothing because I am a demon. I was raised on the smell of my own blood and the cold hard fist of my abusers....You are the creature that managed to..."  
  
Yuber felt Natas' body go suddenly slack, his gaze widening as he shook the Black Knight again, this time receiving no response. "Natas! Don't go!" He pulled the silver-haired man's body to his chest and climbed to his feet, unsure of where he would go or what he would do. He searched his surroundings for anything that would lead him to a proper conclusion.  
  
He was surprised when the True Rune came to life in his mind. 'Finish him, boy.'  
  
'Is he dead?' Yuber asked, almost dreading the answer.  
  
The Eightfold Rune grumbled and prodded at the mind of the Black Knight. 'As much as I would love to say yes, I'm afraid that the poor beast still clings to his fading life. Let's kill him slow and painfully.' It rubbed front appendages in anticipation, wanting to feel the Black Knight's weakness again; it had been far too long since Natas had begged for mercy from anyone.  
  
Yuber looked at the body in his arms, all too aware that Natas was almost dead. He could do as the True Rune wanted and end the Black Knight's existence, or he could...  
  
'We aren't going there, boy. The rules were stated before the battle; to win, Natas must die.' The spider started to build a web to torture Natas' mind with, humming old war tunes as it did so, if only to entertain itself.  
  
The blonde sighed heavily and nodded, his decision made. He lay the Black Knight on the ground and reached for his blade, lifting it above his head. 'He never wanted to be ruled by any creature...most of all, a True Rune. Does this mean that the Eightfold Rune won?' He clenched his teeth together and brought his blade tip down....  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Mia lifted the basket in her arms, smiling to all the villagers as she past them, intent on completing her minor task of finishing the laundry. She brushed stray locks of ebony hair back over her shoulder as she walked from town, slowly cutting off the main dirt road to follow the man-made path towards her cabin, mind on other matters.  
  
She hummed softly to herself, shifting the basket more comfortably which meant moving it to the other side of her swollen belly. She prayed each night that Yuber would return to her, but over the long months, she began to realize that he would come back to her in his own time. She wondered if he would be able to find her even if he did wish to return, especially now that she had moved herself to the small town of Kalekka to live more quietly. She would sometimes lay awake at night dreaming of what he could look like now that they had been separated for so long. Surely things had changed in the way her lover looked.  
  
She stopped abruptly when she came into view of her cabin, slipping as silently as she could behind a tree, hoping that she had not been seen by the mysterious warrior that leaned against her cabin. She had never seen a man wearing all black platemail before, especially not in town, though she had heard her share of rumors of an increase of vile creatures wandering the fields. Still, she could really catch no glimpse of the warrior's face, but she became increasingly aware that this man knew that she was here.  
  
"You can come out, Mia." The warrior called only loud enough for the young woman to hear. He was not surprised when the ebony-haired woman wearily stepped back into the path in front of him, a fond smile tugging at his lips. He pushed off of the cabin to stand to his full height, hands going to his helmet to remove the protective piece of black metal. He smirked at Mia's shocked expression. "It's been a long time, Mia."  
  
"P...Pesmerga!?"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Yuber sighed heavily as he walked alone in the World of Emptiness, idly brushing stray locks of blooded blonde from his face, wincing as his fingers brushed against his swollen cheek. He slowly made his way to where Natas had once stayed, stopping just outside of the small cabin. He really couldn't remember a time when he felt so numb.  
  
He was not really surprised that the True Rune remained silent to him. He could not doubt the intelligence of the Eightfold Rune, mostly because it had survival skills equal to Natas. It was wise not to make a comment about the Black Knight for he was in no mood to listen and would probably put the silver-haired man's blocking skills to use against the spider.  
  
He let out a heavy breath and shoved open the blackened door, watching it as it sway away from his touch, now leaning heavily on creaking hinges. The one room seemed so empty, all the shadows seemly larger and ready to devour anything that dared enter its mysterious depths. The hearth remain still aside from the occasional falling ash, evidence of the last fire they had had together; Natas only made a fire when he was awake. The floor groaned under his weight, the surrounding walls almost looking like they were about to cave in on themselves, the blackened wood cracking horribly over the years of long constant use and the odd temper-tantrum. Still, the emptiness felt like the greatest threat to him now.  
  
Yet, his eye caught on a glimmer to his left, slowly turning to find what death-trap the Black Knight had left for him as he usually did. He was surprised to find himself staring at a newly polished suit of armour, an exact duplicate of the one that Natas had once adorned. He slowly approached, a hand reaching out to touch the armour as if to test whether or not he was just staring at an illusion. He shivered as the blooded tips of his fingers met with the cold steel, a fond smile tugging at the side of his lips with the mere thought of Natas walking around in this armour.  
  
It was then that he noticed the neatly folded paper next to the armour, his eyebrows creasing in confusion as he carefully unfolded it, not wanting to damage the fine quality of paper which felt like silk beneath his fingers. The text was written in impeccable style, so much so that it would take a great teacher of script not to be able to tell that a once orphan beggar wrote this message. His eyes scanned over the note, taking in each word as he read it before finally going back to stare at the armour, his gaze switching from the paper to the black metal. "Mine....?"  
  
Slowly, he searched through the armour, smiling when he found that all the parts were there and in impeccable condition. He quickly shed his blooded clothing, working with the only spare bandages that they had ever kept and stepped carefully into the set of platemail, surprised at how well it fit him, like he had made all the measurements and had the armour customs to fit his body. After he examined himself as best he could, he picked up the cloak that had been set out for him, smiling as the rich blue material seemed to move towards him. "Every Black Knight wears a colour that reflects their eyes...." He attached to cloak and stood tall, moving to watch the material sweep after him before finally nodding to himself.  
  
He took his time to attach his sword and sighed heavily. Would this be the last time that he would ever visit it this place now that Natas was gone from it? His eyes flicked over the room, finding it suddenly very uninviting. He felt a fond smile tug at his lips as he ran his fingers over the red horns of the black helmet. "It's time to go back. I must see Mia again. Natas would want that, if he desired anything, really..." He shook his head and stepped from the cabin, gaze sweeping across the empty dust grounds. "Nothing will keep me from Mia, now."  
  
He took his first step away from the months that he had endured as a mere apprentice of the Black Knights, now a full-fledge one. He knew little of his own Guild, aside from the fact that he was one of the only members. Still, he knew things that most normal people could not dream up in their worst nightmares, and now he was returning to the world of his birth from the ground. He would let nothing stop him from assuring his lover's happiness.  
  
Foreboding lay in the back of his mind, one that he could not discern. It was like a dark cloud looming over his head, a trial of fate coming to him fast. He would face that trial, or he would run from it until it died, mostly because he lived forever and had much time to spare. Anything that dared step into his path to happiness, he would make their lives living hell.  
  
TBC...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Well, like I said, this chapter wouldn't have taken as long as the last one, and luckily, it didn't. I hope that the next one will be as equally fun to write. Thanks for reading. Sadly, this fic is drawing to a close, as much as I hate to say it, but a sequel may be in the books, however, whether or not you readers would like a sequel is completely up to you. Don't hesitate to let me know. 


	11. Destiny's Dream Awakened

Disclaimer: In no way do I claim any rights to the characters of the Suikoden series. I do not own them, nor did I have any hand in creating them. Please don't sue as I don't have any money and just want to write a fanfic.  
  
Only in Dreams  
  
By: Chibi Nataku  
  
Author's Note: Speech that starts with ' instead of " means mental talking. If a conversation is going on between Yuber and the Rune, it is purely in his mind, and assume that no one else is aware of the conversation, but can see any emotion that is displayed openly by the Rune-bearer.  
  
Chapter 10 - Destiny's Dream Awakened  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Yuber felt a smirk pull at his lips as he stepped from the main dirt road, his gaze following the mostly hidden trail that left off into the woods. He glanced back to the small town of Kalekka, watching the villagers carry on their normal business as if they had never seen him at all. Yet, it was the villagers that had directed him to where his lover now resided. He was finally back to where he could hold Mia in his arms, a thought that had actually pulled him from his other activities.  
  
After leaving the World of Emptiness, he had wandered various parts of the land, mostly to show off his new suit of armour. Of course, once he was back to the world of his birth, he simply had to join in on the border skirmish that was taking place, not really caring who he killed so long as a body fell at his feet after his blade lashed out. He had managed to decimate both sides, even while he was still wounded from his encounter with Natas, but then again, his mentor had always said that mere mortals were weak. With Natas gone, he knew just how right the Black Knight had been.  
  
He savoured every drop of blood that hit his face, his actions some of the ones he was only starting to use. By the end of the battle, it was clear that he was on no one's side and was merely there for the sake of killing people. It was then that most of the warriors turned and ran when he came too close; Yuber merely brought forth a few creatures from the World of Emptiness to hold such people down while he took his time getting over to the pinned warrior's location. He made sure to leave nothing in the battlefield alive, except those who were on their deathbeds as it was. He would let those individuals suffer the long, painful process of death, taking some time to watch no particular individual die slowly, occasionally giggling like a child when he would poke the grievous wound to hear a cry of pain.  
  
Never before the passing of Natas had he admitted, even to himself, that he felt quite at home wandering the blood-soaked fields were fierce battles took place. He felt himself being more and more drawn towards the fuelled anger, pain, and screams of battle, wanting to sit quietly while men killed their fellows reading a book, just listening to the sounds of male cries as if it were the finest music ever created. It had not been before the passing of Natas that he had dared wander the fields of death alone, mostly because the other man made such adventures more enjoyable if only because of his company. There had always been a certain, unmistakable charm to battle when Natas was around, even when he had been dragged against his will as was usually the case in the beginning.  
  
Still, he remained long after the dying had long since passed on, listening intently to silence that was thick with memory. His gaze had turned skyward, a playful smirk pulling at his features as he watched the stars of night waking from a dormant sleep beneath the watchful gaze of the sun. His eyes moved over the deepening night, a cool breeze picking up around him to blow his cloak.  
  
Soon, he found his gaze flicking to the glowing fireflies of night, their softly glowing bodies reminding him of times that were not so filled with war. Deep in the past, he remembered watching the very same creatures with his sisters, smiling carefree as they ran among the vast fields of wheat. Then again, he would watch the fireflies with Mia, and she would tell him wondrous stories of heroes of the past and how such warriors now resided in the skies to watch over the people in the form of stars. Yet, he had stood in a blooded field not so long ago with Natas at his side, their gazes moving to the sky in unison as stars fell from the black depths of night; they had remained in companionable silence together, as if friends of old.  
  
Yet, on this night, he could find no comfort among the stars. He was alone to watch them on this night, a feeling that he had long forgotten, simply because their had always been someone who wanted to take care of him and teach him. Now, all those people were long in the past, dead or otherwise. On this night, his only company was the bodies around him, something that had made him remember that only those who hunted in packs were weaker than those who hunted alone. Perhaps all of his nights from now on would be as silent and cold as this one.  
  
No, Mia was waiting for him. He simply knew that she would wait until the very stars themselves could shine no longer. His lover had always been waiting the shine light in the shadows of his mind. Mia had promised that she would wait, and he had promised that he would someday return to her. He knew that the tug of cool wind set his direction towards his lover once more, and he turned and followed that breeze into the night, disappearing like the shadow he had become from the history of the previous battle.  
  
And so here he stood, a smooth smirk set across his lips as he walked slowly through the woods towards where Mia would be waiting. His gloved hand reached out to brush a branch of blue pine from his face, slipping off the path to travel among the trees, his cloak moving before him to investigate the mostly hidden path before him. He moved silently between the cedars, pines, and conifers, stopping when the faint candle light from a window of a cabin appeared from between some of the trees.  
  
His paced quickened, leaving stealth for a more unceremonious approach to his lover. He stopped when he had stepped out from the darkened trees, gaze moving about the area to make sure that Mia was not waiting to ambush him like she had always been good at doing. When he could pick nothing that bothered his keen senses, he moved carefully towards the door, slowly lifting a hand to rap on the solid wood that blocked his view from his lover. His fist fell heavily on the dark brown wood, one of the first real sounds he had made in a long time. He stood and waited, becoming almost suddenly flustered that his appearance would somehow be unappealing.  
  
Yet, all such thoughts faded back as the door opened and the shocked face of Mia stood staring at him. He smiled gently, outstretching his arms to take his lover into his arms, not surprised when the ebony-haired woman nearly flew into his grasp. He chuckled when she burst into tears against him, slowly rocking his lover to calm her. He allowed her to pull away and smile at him, tears still streaming from her eyes. "I'm back, Mia. I apologize for the extended period of time that I was away for. I hope you didn't worry too much about me." He smiled playfully, following Mia inside when she merely smiled and beckoned him to follow her.  
  
"I'm so glad..." Mia finally managed to choke out between her tears. The last week had been so trying on her, first with Pesmerga returning to her life and now Yuber. She felt as if her heart might explode with pride, seeing both of the men she had resided with grown into such fine gentlemen. She hugged Yuber again, content just to hold her love, surprised at his change in appearance, much as she had been with Pesmerga. "I've missed you so much, Yuber."  
  
Yuber grinned and removed his black helmet, setting the metal down on the slanting wooden table. "Well, I'm back now to stay, Mia."  
  
Mia gasped as she looked up at her lover's face, a hand raising to touch the tremendous bruise that covered the blonde's left cheek. "You're hurt!"  
  
"Oh...don't worry, it's nothing really. I got it...sparring awhile back, and I didn't bother getting it looked at. It will heal with time." Yuber smiled innocently, having almost completely forgotten about the last gift Natas had given him in their battle. He had grown used to the dull ache and sometimes sharp pains that made him wince during his travels. Still, he did not really feel like stopping to heal the wound properly, but he did not resist when Mia forced him to sit so that she could look at his wound.  
  
Mia touched the bruise softly, coming to the quick conclusion that such a wound would not have happened during a simple spar. Still, she remained silent to her unanswered questions and instead, placed her right palm against is cheek, summoning up the healing powers of the water rune, sighing as the bone reset and the swelling disappeared. Slowly, she opened her eyes to take a look at her lover, a fond smile tugging at her lips at his now almost constant smirk. It was good to see him in such good health.  
  
Yuber leaned down and nuzzled his lover fondly, breathing in her familiar scent before wrapping her in a warm hug, blinking in slight confusion when her body seemed to refuse to fit to his like it used to. At first he thought it may be his armour, but after careful study of Mia's position against him, he came to his own conclusions, slowly pulling away to confirm his suspicions. 'Oh...Oh. Oh!' He knew that he looked completely flustered, mostly because Mia giggled and stroked his cheek, attempting to calm quickly rising adrenaline.  
  
'No better than Miku...Breeding like rabbits seems to be the only thing that you filthy mortal creatures are good at.' The Eightfold Rune grumbled in exasperation as the blonde's mind seemed to freeze and skip normal thought. The spider occasionally poked at Yuber's mind, hoping for some entertainment for the situation, returning to grumbling when the blonde merely sat completely dumbfounded. 'This is great. The ultimate being of the True Runes is stalled because he managed to breed.' It slapped the blonde again, slowing forcing Yuber to respond to it. 'Come now boy, you can take whole armies alone, take care of a hundred-year-old demon, wield a power greater than mortal can imagine, and cause world-destruction when you awaken, but an unborn child makes you a complete moron. I never thought I'd see the day when absolute human stupidity reached such a limit...You never cease to amaze me, boy, and don't take that as a compliment.' The Eightfold Rune felt the blonde's mind stirring to retaliate against it and chuckled to itself. 'Keep this up and I'll kill you myself, boy.'  
  
Yuber shoved the Eightfold Rune away and sat silent, slowly calculating how long it would be until his child made an appearance. He felt torn now, one half of himself overjoyed that he would be a father and be able to raise his child, yet the other half seemed to take a much colder stand-point that a child would be just another weakness in his life that needed his attention. He was unsure if he was ready to lose his new-found independence again to take care of lesser being that would cling to him for more years than he would admit to himself. He found part of himself screaming in anger at this new turn of events, wanting to run out in another battlefield and take this anger out on some pitiful human. 'A child will slow me down.'  
  
The True Rune blinked its eight eyes separately, contemplating its next move. The blonde was torn with this new turn of events, something that it could use to its own advantage. He could feel the less human side of Yuber rebelling to the idea of having to stick around to raise a child, calling for blood at his own stupidity. Yet, the other, much quieter part, glowed contently, slowly mounding around the idea of fatherhood. It slowly ushered away from that part of the blonde, instead moving much closer to the angered side. 'Are you really ready to be tied down to a mortal child? This is like selling your soul on the open market for anyone to pick up. You don't even know what the beast will look like. It's too dangerous for us to remain in one place for long, boy. Dharma could be waiting to kill you at any moment, leaving that child fatherless anyway. Better to leave now so it doesn't have a chance to get attached to you.'  
  
Yuber felt himself recoil at the thought of abandoning Mia again, yet, he could not deny the nagging feeling that his opposite walked in the shadows behind him, quickly catching up on him. He could now see why Natas refused to be attached to any creature, mostly because the same dilemma would have cracked the Black Knight's mind in half like it was doing him. Yet, as he stared at Mia, he already knew his mind was made up; for the betterment of his lover and their child, he would be forced to leave her again, if only to protect them both from the entity of Order. He would never be able to tell when his opposite would strike, unless he found Dharma first and destroyed his only rival. To destroy Dharma would leave Mia out of harms way.  
  
Mia tilted her head to the side, not very surprised as Yuber's face turned into a torrent of emotion. She had expected as much from him. For him to have returned to her at such a time, left him in a very bad position, yet there was nothing that she could have done to make this information easier for him to digest. Still, she would force herself to welcome him no matter the position he took on their unborn child. "Yuber...?"  
  
Yuber met Mia's worried gaze equally, nodding to himself slowly. He forced a smile on his face, taking one of his lover's hands in his own, placing a soft kiss on the palm. "It is so good to see you again. However...I cannot stay too long, Mia. I have an enemy who is relentless in his search for me, and unless I destroy him first, he could try and attack you and our child..."  
  
"And why would I do that to my own sister, accursed Shield?"  
  
Yuber instinctive went for his helmet, his leg shooting out to knock the metal into the air, slipping to the left as the black metal settling back on his head as he called his sword to his hand. He felt his cloak moving to surround Mia in protection as his unveiled gaze locked with softly glowing golden eyes. He felt a smirk pull at his lips as Pesmerga stepped up from the shadows of a window and the True Rune in his right hand send excited shivers up his arm. He was more than a little disturbed at the physical similarities between himself and the ebony-haired young man standing in front of him. He remained silent as he took in the other man.  
  
Mia's older adoptive brother was equally his height, facial features and hair-styles so similar to his own that anyone passing by would have assumed that they were twins. Strong in build, silent in demeanor, it was obvious that Pesmerga was in this room to offer the same kind of protection to Mia that Yuber was giving. Long ebony hair trailed down Pesmerga's back, it length equal to Yuber's blonde locks. Possibly the most disturbing part of the other man's appearance was the duplicate armour, all except the rich deep yellow cape. The same smirk marked Pesmerga's features as it normally did his own.  
  
Pesmerga took another step into the room, eyeing the only creature that mattered right now because should that creature managed to transcend, the world itself would shudder and the balance of the True Runes would forever be altered. His gaze shifted from the blonde to his younger sister who appeared to be studying their similar appearances with some shock. "Though we have never met before, I know you as if you were my own brother. I suppose that we could be called brothers, but our relationship ends with that. We are out for completely different goals, you for destruction, me for stopping you. Lucky for you, I have patience, and I knew you appear here sooner or later. It was just a matter of time, and when the star known as Natas flickered and faded, I knew you would appear here and so here you are, just a predicted."  
  
Yuber felt his eyes narrow in irritation. "Nice speech, Pesmerga. I take it you wish to bore me to death?" He smirked when the other Black Knight glared at him and brushed blonde bangs back into place under his helmet. "Not interested in your speeches. I think you've overstayed your welcome, though. Don't make me throw you out of this house." Yuber felt his eyes flicker gold as he raised his sword. "Nothing would please me more than killing you right here and now, but I don't want to get Mia's floor dirty with your blood."  
  
"Hmmm, much too cocky. I'll be sure to make you grovel at my feet before I finish you off." Pesmerga called his sword to hand, raising it before beckoning the blonde to attack him. He was a little miffed when Yuber merely stood watching him, as if studying him. He shouted angrily when the blonde suddenly burst into laughter and ran from the house, cackling like a complete lunatic, taunting him. He immediately gave chase, slipping into the shadows as laughter echoed around the forest. "This is not what I was told he would be like...Much too nice. Still, I must kill him to protect both myself and my sister."  
  
Yuber teleported into the front lawn, perching on the axe buried into brittle wood, his cape bellowing out in its search to capture Pesmerga. He felt power crackle around him, the symbol of his childhood murders flaring to life beneath his helmet. The trees around him began to groan and bend away at the push of his power before finally falling as their trucks exploded, sending a shower of splitters around him. The axe beneath his boots began to shift colour and shape, taking on a constantly shifting look. Spirits of the forests retreated away desperately, all letting out high-pitched screams in an attempt to ward off his power.  
  
Casually, he stepped from his shifting pedestal, foot touching steps that formed from the air until his feet touched the ground, green grass rippling in and out of existence before finally flattening against the ground. His golden gaze shifted around the clearing, searching out the other Black Knight. "Come out...Come out, wherever you dare hide from me."  
  
Pesmerga cursed as the blonde started to blow up random trees that had yet to hit the ground. He clenched his fists to repress his own power, not wanting to completely render his sister's house to rubble. Still, he was finding his options very limited with Yuber moving in his direction, as if aware of his position; the blonde was making simple combat difficult in a higher state of being. "I have to stop him from doing that...He's much too dangerous expelling that much chaos." He looked down in his left hand, closing his eyes as a small light flickered to life in his palm. "I have no choice...Mia...forgive me."  
  
Yuber gaze immediately found Pesmerga when the ebony-haired man stepped out from behind a quickly buckling tree. A cocky smirk easily worked across his lips as he turned to regard the other Black Knight, sword casually floating at his shoulder. "You have the look of a pitiful human, Pesmerga. Why don't you show me your power? I showed you mine."  
  
"Stop prattling, Yuber! You want me, come and get me!" Pesmerga gasped when the blonde's eyes flashed angrily, groaning as he slammed back against a tree, pinned by the blonde's power. He clenched his teeth as Yuber advanced towards him, beginning to shake with concentration to merely keep his own power from exploding outwards. 'Just... a... little... closer... stupid... blonde...'  
  
Yuber smirked at his easy win over Pesmerga. He would have surely thought that his opposite would have put up more of a fight against him. Still, he was always prepared to take the life of such a useless creature. He eventually stopped when he was a few feet from the other Black Knight, his mind wondering what he was supposed to do now that he had Pesmerga. He took another step closer, calling his sword to strike seconds before the Eightfold Rune screamed in the back of his mind. 'It's a bloody trap, boy! Get out of here!' Yuber let out a cry as he was suddenly blown back, groaning as slammed hard against a tree, the symbol of his forehead disappearing as he fell to his knees. Again, he became distracted with the nearly incoherent screams of the Eightfold Rune. 'Run! Get away from here! He means to rob us of our power! Flee!'  
  
Yuber wasn't too sure if he want to yell more at the Eightfold Rune for distracting him from reacting or Pesmerga for tackling him and pinning him to the ground. He decided that the ebony-haired man was more in need of his attention, especially since Pesmerga seemed more than a little determined to rip his helmet off, practically tearing away the metal along with any hair that managed to get caught in the other Black Knight's hands. He attempted to thrown Pesmerga off of him, but found his arms pinned by the ebony-haired man's armoured knees. He growled and threw one of his knees forward, smirking in slight saticfaction as the other Black Knight grunted and jolted forward. "Get off of me!" He finally just screamed.  
  
Pesmerga glanced back at Yuber drew his knee back for another shot at him, lifting a fist and punching the blonde across the face. He drew back as the blonde's cape attempted to grab his arm, letting out a small surprised groan as Yuber's knee again impacted with his back, sending him forward again. He reached out and caught the nearby tree, his gaze locking with the blonde's angered blue one, eyebrows creasing at the sight of a strange spider pacing deep in the other man's consciousness. "You...have a True Rune?" He asked softly, not too aware of the question until is sprang from his lips.  
  
Yuber was a bit caught off guard with the pity in the other man's voice before finally just settling with glaring at Pesmerga. "Who cares if I do. You won't live long enough to see its power." He again slammed his knee into the other Black Knight's back, watching as Pesmerga grunted and tried to keep hold of him. "You know you can't win."  
  
Pesmerga smiled and shook his head at the blonde beneath him. "I don't need to win. I just need to seal your symbol." He felt his smile turn into a smirk at the sudden panicked look that overtook the blonde's features. He shoved off the tree that he had been supporting himself with and sighed heavily, placing his left palm on Yuber's forehead. He felt the blonde go rigid beneath him, a small whimper escaping the pinned Black Knight's lips before Yuber went completely limp. He slowly removed his palm, turning it over to watch the small shield symbol float silently. He lifted his hand towards the stars. "Begone! Back to Fate who walks among the stars!" He sighed heavily as the symbol disintegrated into shifting light before taking off to the sky.  
  
He looked down at the blonde whose blue eyes were open but glazed over and completely unseeing. Pesmerga climbed to his feet, leaving the blonde to recover as best as he could, turning to return to his sister's house. He stopped a few feet from the house, his saddened gaze on his sister who stood shaking in the doorway. "Mia..." He glanced back at Yuber who remained motionless. "He is alive, Mia. Give him a few days, and he'll recover fine. Nothing will have changed...except for his level of power."  
  
Mia looked between her brother and her fallen lover, shocked with the display that they had shown only moments before. She felt silent tears slip down her cheeks as she stared at Pesmerga, unsure of how to react to him. Certainly nothing had really changed between them except for the fact that Pesmerga and Yuber were destined to kill one another, just like the Eightfold spider had once told her. She locked gazes with her brother, searching him for answers that he was unwilling to give in words. They seemed to stare at one another for a long time, the silence of the night finally filling over the terror and destruction that had taken place only moments before.  
  
Pesmerga smiled warmly at his sister, glad that she had silently forgiven him for his action against the blonde. His smile faltered moments before he dropped to his knees in pain, looking down to find a black armoured gloved hand protruding from his chest. Shakily, he looked behind him to confirm Yuber's wakefulness, letting out a shriek of pain as the blonde activated a lightning rune. He could only vaguely hear Mia's scream, yet the blonde's soft, mocking chuckle was as clear as his pain. He groaned in weak pain as the arm in his chest lifted him back to his feet, the blonde's other arm wrapping around his neck. "...How...?"  
  
"That was not very nice of you..." Yuber whispered softly in Pesmerga's left ear, slowly switching side to whisper in the ebony-haired man's other ear. "I am not generally a vengeful man, but what you did makes me think that our relationship will always be a rocky one...brother." He hissed the last word as if it were a curse. He shifted his arm around the other Black Knight's neck, the tips of his fingers touching Pesmerga's forehead. He whispered a soft word, smirking as Pesmerga body went rigid against him, a small cry escaping the ebony-haired man's lips as the small symbol of the sword appeared. He left the symbol go, watching it as it slowly floated up towards the heavens, Pesmerga's body slumping heavily against his own. "An eye for an eye... brother." He smirked and placed a soft kiss on the back of Pesmerga's neck. "And then some...." He ripped his hand from the other Black Knight's chest, grabbing Pesmerga's right hand in his own. He felt the ebony-haired man begin to struggle against him, his gaze leaving Pesmerga to fall on Mia who stood in frozen horror. "Don't worry, my love. I will be finished with him very soon."  
  
Mia slowly shook her head at her lover. "Yuber...stop. Please...stop! Don't fight! I beg you!"  
  
Yuber ignored the nearly hysterical cries of his lover, turning his attention back to Pesmerga, whose struggles were becoming increasingly panicked. He concentrated on the True Rune in his hand, searching out power that would amuse him, quickly finding a little trick that not even the spider would know about, mostly because it was combining his power with the power of the True Runes. He smirked as Pesmerga opened his mouth to scream, yet no sound emerged, the other Black Knight's body starting to convulse before finally going completely limp. Yuber released his hold on Pesmerga, letting the ebony-haired man fall the ground, instead keeping his gaze on the pulsating light in his right hand. "Don't worry, brother. You won't need this anytime soon. Perhaps next time we can spend some actual quality time together."  
  
He turned on his heel and started to walk away, stopping when Mia called to him. He felt his shoulders slump in defeat and slowly turned to regard his lover. He felt his cruel, cold exterior melt with her hopeless look of defeat. He took a step towards her, wanting to hold her in his arms more than anything, yet he denied himself such privileges. "Mia, I'm so sorry. I never wanted anything like this to happen, but there is nothing that can be done about it. Humans are ruled over by the power of Fate. We walk the path of destiny that has been set out before our feet. It is a force that cannot be denied, much to my own dismay, but...we can't change destiny. I must walk my path now. We will meet again, I'm sure."  
  
"Y...ub...er...?"  
  
Yuber turned away from Mia, his cape flowing out behind him. "Tell Pesmerga when he wakes up that if he wants what I took from him back, he'll have to kill me for it."  
  
Mia looked down at her fallen brother then back at Yuber who was walking away from her, shaking her head in denial of the events that had transpired. She slowly approached Pesmerga's side, bending to take her brother in her arms, her gaze moving to the path that lead away from her home. "What did you take, Yuber?" She called, her voice shaking. She was not sure what her lover could have taken from Pesmerga that would make her brother pursue him.  
  
"Oh, nothing much." Yuber called back. "It's not as if he needs a soul anyway, especially not where I'll be sending him."  
  
TBC...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Oh...I'm not too sure if I like how things worked out, but I guess I will work with what I wrote down. Just so that everyone is aware of it (and it will be explained in the coming chapter), but there is a reason for Yuber's sudden personality shift (makes crazy motions with her hands). Tell me what you think of it! 


	12. Return of a Good Dream

Disclaimer: In no way do I claim any rights to the characters of the Suikoden series. I do not own them, nor did I have any hand in creating them. Please don't sue as I don't have any money and just want to write a fanfic.  
  
Only in Dreams  
  
By: Chibi Nataku  
  
Author's Note: Speech that starts with ' instead of " means mental talking. If a conversation is going on between Yuber and the Rune, it is purely in his mind, and assume that no one else is aware of the conversation, but can see any emotion that is displayed openly by the Rune-bearer.  
  
***This chapter is dedicated to Lady of Genesis, to make up for all the nasty stuff that I did to her dear, sweet Natas***  
  
Chapter 11 - Return of a Good Dream  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Yuber sat silently in the darkened room, leaning heavily against the sturdy wood at his back, gaze locked with the small pulsating light in his hand. He had lost all awareness of the flow of time around him, though he did know that it was now night once more. In the darkness, he let his mind play over his actions in regards to Mia and Pesmerga.  
  
He had been so glad to see his lover again, though the surprise of fathering a child did set his mood off a bit. Still, he had forced himself to take hold of the fact that it was unsafe for him to remain with his twin star moving in his shadow. Really, he had no idea that Pesmerga had even heard all of the conversation between himself and Mia, yet as soon as the other Black Knight made his presence known, Yuber knew that their battle was about to begin. Perhaps he had acted much too childishly when bursting into forced laughter and running from the house, but his main concern had been for Mia's safety. Still, he could not deny the pleasurable feeling of nearly crushing Pesmerga beneath his power, which he was still angry about being robbed of.  
  
He smiled slightly as the light shifted colour in his hand, a sign he took to mean the changing emotions of Pesmerga, this time the colour blood red, probably rage. His fingers reached up and brushed the spot on his forehead where his shield symbol had once been, scowling at the feeling of emptiness in that spot. He had never experienced such pain before that moment in time, not even under the harsh guidance of Natas, a feeling that could only be described as one's soul being torn out, ripped to pieces and put back together without the right order to it. He had felt that the only just revenge for the act that Pesmerga had committed against him was to do the same, except refusing to give that soul back after the symbol was sealed. Pesmerga deserved all that he had received, but Yuber smirked as he knew that the other Black Knight's pain was only beginning.  
  
All he needed to do now was to figure out what plan could drive him forward to outwit and outrun his brother. He wanted an advantage that could not be contended with, yet all the same, be hidden from unwanted attention if necessary. Yuber knew that he needed a strong ally, one that was not currently sobbing over the loss of power.  
  
He investigated the Eightfold Rune, his mind poking at the cocoon of webbing that it had built up for itself. It had pretty much refused to speak to him after the fact of losing his symbol to Pesmerga, only muttering incoherently and making the occasional whining noise. He was quickly growing weary of its mood, mostly because it should have been him that was crying and whining over the loss of HIS symbol, his power. He refused though because he had something that would torment Pesmerga until the day that the other Black Knight finally found him, and they settled their little dispute. He had come the quick conclusion that until the Eightfold Rune got over its power-hungry little fetish, it would be a useless ally for him at this point, which forced him to think about any other creature that would be in position to help him off-set the balance between himself and Pesmerga.  
  
His gaze flicked around the darkened room, eyeing the door leading outside to the main part of the inn, then to the mused bed, draped open window, small tables and his own neatly stacked armour. His gaze lingered on the armour, a fond smile pulling at his lips as the small rays of moonlight glinted off its metallic surface, the light seemly sucked into the forever blackness of the metal.   
  
He clasped his hand over the small light, drawing it into his palm as he climbed to his feet, fingers reaching out to brush against the metal of his armour. Quickly, his gaze shifted from the armour to the bed, silently moving to stand next to it, seriously considering climbing beneath the blankets and forgetting about the entire fact that he was now being hunted. Still, he remained silent and still, eyes wandering over bed as if it were his own from when he had been a child.  
  
It wasn't the most extravagant bed in the world, but it fit right into the room in which it had been placed, sturdy and silent. Deep oak bedposts peeked out from beneath the woolen blankets that lay carelessly thrown about on the woolen mattress. Sheets of a dyed deep blue lay rumpled, masked only by the goose down comforter that had an intricate design of swans taking flight cross-stitched across the milky white surface. It was probably one of the most inviting beds that he had ever seen, if only because of the disheveled occupant sleeping soundly, his only real ally.  
  
"...Natas..." Yuber breathed the word softly as he stared down at the former Black Knight. The older man's chest was thoroughly bandaged as well as his neck, the only two places that his blade managed to meet flesh. His friend was clad in only in the black pants that Natas had worn during their fight, long silver hair neatly braided thanks to the healers looking after the older man's wounds. He had never actually seen Natas sleep, but he found the former Black Knight surprisingly peaceful. He was only beginning to get used to the frail looking Natas.  
  
Slowly, Yuber sat down on the side of the bed, smiling when Natas groaned almost angrily and flipped over onto one side, long braid moving across the covers towards him until the locks rested on top of his hands, as if investigating his current state. He bent and leaned over Natas' shoulder to look down into the former Black Knight's sleeping face, pulling back when red eyes flew open and a muffled cry was emitted from the older man. He immediately grabbed the silver-haired man's shoulders when Natas sat up abruptly, steadying the shaking shoulders. The eyes that looked at him were teaming with rage and suspicion.  
  
"Yuber!" Natas protested weakly, surprised at the softness of his own voice. He fell silent, not wanting to speak until he had regained most of his strength so he instead glared at the blonde holding his shoulders.  
  
Yuber chuckled softly at Natas' glare, patting the former Black Knight softly on the back, receiving a small pained grunt. "You should rest. You've been sleeping for more than a week." He used his much greater strength to force the silver-haired man back to the comforter, much too Natas' obvious displeasure. "Stop glaring at me. You are lucky to be alive."  
  
Natas growled angrily, knowing that if he actually had the strength, he would be smashing the blonde in the head a few times. "You were... supposed to kill me." He mumbled, grabbing the front of Yuber's white shirt. He drew the blonde towards himself, their gazes meeting briefly. "You've...changed. Something is different. What... happened?"  
  
Yuber shrugged his shoulders, but he did not pull away from the older man. He slowly explained what events had transpired during Natas' week of sleeping, watching as the emotions ran across the silver-haired man's face as plain as daylight. The normal smirk that probably would have pulled at Natas' lips remained dormant, instead a scowl graced the former Black Knight's elegant features. Still, Yuber gave Natas time to process the information before finally bringing his request into words. "Help me, Natas." Their gazes met equally. "Not as one I rule over, but as my equal. No one will rule you, but I need an ally who I can rely on until I can get back to Mia. I must draw Pesmerga away from her, far away."  
  
Natas sighed heavily, stretching out one shoulder. "Does it know?" He inquired softly.  
  
"No, the Eightfold Rune is oblivious to the fact that you live on. I made sure of it. However, when it does find out and we both know that it will eventually, I dare to think of the temper-tantrum that it will have." Yuber watched Natas nod slowly, reaching out a hand to brush back a stray lock of silver hair, blinking when the tendril wrapped around his hand and refused to let go of him. He found Natas watching the lock as intently as he was. "I think your hair is fond of me." He joked softly.  
  
"It doesn't have intelligence of its own; it is merely reacting in a manner... desirable." Natas looked away from Yuber, ignoring the blonde's soft mocking chuckle at his explanation. He had never felt so vulnerable since his childhood, yet unlike that time so long ago, he found that his vulnerability did not cause him severe discomfort. He knew that Yuber was in no position to hold any flaw in his personality against him. However, despite himself, he knew that the fact that he was still alive was all part of a greater plan that the blonde had secretly devised to off set fate in Yuber's favour. He could immediately tell that Yuber had already began bending Fate's strings around to better the blonde in the long run, and if Yuber needed him to twist Fate against Pesmerga, he would have little choice to contend with the blonde's quickly growing will for chaos and desire to transcend humanity. He nodded slightly to Yuber. "Alright, I will grace you with my presence again, but only because I am in no mood to hear you whine."  
  
Yuber smirked arrogantly, not surprised that Natas attempted to show off his more egotistical side. He slightly tugged at the hair still wrapped around his hand, chuckling when Natas reached up and physically removed the tendril, the silver-haired man throwing it back to wrap around the braid that was now starting to wrap around Yuber's arm. Still, his mood dampened as his gaze flicked over to his armour. "He has armour like me, Natas. I thought that only you and I have that armour."  
  
Natas quirked a silvery eyebrow, slowly moving himself back to lean against the solid oak headboard, letting out a slightly pained sighed. "Indeed." He shifted heavily against the headboard, trying his best to keep the cool wood off of the bare flesh of his shoulders.  
  
"You gave him armour, didn't you?" It was more of a command rather than a question, especially as Natas seemed to shift almost uncomfortably. Yuber growled softly when the silver-haired man nodded, climbing to his feet to pace around the room. "Why? Why would you do that?"  
  
"Because he would have killed you if I had not." Natas watched Yuber stop to stare at him, nodding his head as if to physically confirm his own words. "He has been hunting you for a long time, even before you even knew of what you were. He managed to somehow get into the World of Emptiness, and as the ruler of that place, I confronted him. He demanded that I show him to where you slept, but I am not commanded by anyone, not even the Sword." Natas chuckled softly at the memory of his encounter, smirking when Yuber came to sit down beside him again, obviously intent on listening to his explanation. "I suppose he saw that I would butcher him if he tried anything, so instead he decided to strike a deal with me. I give him Black Knight armour, and he seals the path he took to get into the World of Emptiness. Not much of a deal really, but I was in a good mood that day so I agreed."  
  
Yuber shook his head before brushing stray locks of blonde hair from his face. "How would he have killed me if you could not get past your 'mighty' guard?" He hid his face from the very prominent glare that twisted Natas' features as soon as the statement left his lips. He had to desperately hold in a snicker.  
  
Natas growled in aggravation, looking away from Yuber snobbishly. "I may be powerful, but I'm not stupid. His skills were unknown to me, and he felt powerful...unlike someone I easily beat down every day he decided to gain consciousness."  
  
Yuber smiled and nodded his head shyly. The silence that fell between them was deep and held as much comfort as could be expected between a former Black Knight and the chaos-driven Shield. Still, Yuber found his mind wandering and took to his feet again, moving to the window to stare out into the sleeping town, a smirk pulling at his features again. "Just you wait Pesmerga. I will make you wish that you were never born from the Darkness. Your soul is mine, and I will revel in your blood and screams for all of eternity. Catch me if you can, my brother."  
  
Natas watched the blonde's back silently, snorting softly at the obvious change in Yuber. To him, the blonde seemed only slightly different, yet to normal mortals, Yuber would be as inhuman as any creature that dared walked among them. He knew that the blonde was beginning to understand the feeling of pure and utter power; it was clear that without Yuber's full power, the blonde was starting to lose control of his human side and now allowed it to slip into the shadows of the past. He remembered a time when the same thoughts had run through his mind.  
  
Yuber let his gaze wander over the small shadows that still patrolled at night, watching every movement intently. Yet, unlike most times in his life, he watched as a predator not an equal. He would never sink down to the level of being human anymore; he refused to be weak. Certainly, he had succumbed to such thoughts in the past, but this feeling was different from the others. Before, the moment had passed him by after a few hours; now he felt disgusted with the fact that he had once thought himself that weak.  
  
"They are so small, aren't they Natas?" Yuber glanced back at the former Black Knight. "Look at them as they toil and waste away their lives with petty squabbles. I doubt they even realize how weak they look from up here, how easily I could crush each one of them if I really wanted to...but, their weakness here bores me." He cocked his head to the side, studying the listless people. "They are not panicking or hiding from death. They are as fragile as a candle wick, their lives easily snuffed out with the right pressure." He lifted a hand, pressing his forefinger and thumb together in the motion of crushing a flame. "I should end their drab existence, shouldn't I?" He looked back at Natas, waiting for a reply.  
  
"Not tonight. Leave them to wallow in weakness a little longer. Tomorrow...tomorrow we will burn this place to the ground and leave no survivors." Natas chuckled at Yuber's childish smile, slowly sliding down to lie on his back again, grunting as he shifted to find comfort on the mattress. "Tomorrow we will leave Pesmerga a present." Natas closed his eyes and attempted sleep again, gasping as he felt Yuber settle down on the bed beside him, yet he refused to comment even as his hair leapt across his bandaged chest to wrap around the blonde's nearest arm. Some days he really cursed his hair.  
  
Yuber watched Natas as he shifted, smiling at how the former Black Knight's hair clung to his arm. He took it as a sign that the silver-haired man was not displeased with his presence and settled in to wait for morning. He noted how warm Natas had become since being removed from power as a Black Knight, yet by no means was the silver-haired man human. Still, being next to Natas made him feel at home again. Slowly he closed his eyes and explored the darkness there, something he had not done in several months.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
'Natas. Natas, wake up you miserable boy. We have work to do so lying beaten on the floor is not helping. Get up, worthless good-for-nothing' The voice in his head was painful, but not as much as his own body which was littered with bruises and gashes. He had been beaten again, this time considerably more roughly than normal. Yet, like all the times before this one, he still forced his swollen eyes open and struggled to his feet, wobbling considerably on his broken foot before finally just clenching his teeth and forcing pressure on the injured appendage. 'Now, that's the Natas I know. Quickly now, boy, wipe the blood from your face and get a move on.' Slowly, he reached up and did as he was instructed, wincing as bruises screamed at him.  
  
He eventually managed to hobble to the stream that was nearby, gazing down at the beaten and horribly blooded boy that stared back at him. He reached up and touched a bruise, feeling tears build up and slid down his cheeks. "I'm...so...ugly."  
  
'Not ugly, dear sweet Natas.' The voice replied softly, mentally drawing him back into a cocoon that he was used to. 'Don't think of your bruises as ugly. They build character, child. Soon we will crush them, but not yet. The time for death draws close.' He pulled from the embrace of the voice and slowly washed his face, wiping away much of blood from his face, yet he felt much too tired to wash his poorly cut hair.  
  
He could never remember a time when the silky voice was not in his mind, yet his caretakers beat him if he ever mentioned it. He could not remember what his mother looked like, but he did remember her singing to him before he had been sold to his current caretakers. Yet, the moment he left his mother, the voice was there, sometimes comforting, others scolding. He had grown used to it being there, much as he had the cruel treatment he endured. To him, it was a normal life, something that he was unable to change until he grew older. Some days he wished that he could just die, while others, he dreamed of a place where he would be happy.  
  
He dreamed a lot really, mostly because he had nothing better to do. He did his mind-numbing chores wordlessly, ate the little food that he was given as quickly as he could, and lay quietly as he was raped at night. Really, dreaming seemed to come naturally to him, mostly because the voice always wanted to talk to him and train him, for what he did not know. At his age, he thought himself a normal child, yet the much older part of his mind grew colder and colder as the days past over. Some day, he vowed that he was travel to the land of dreams and make another life for himself; some day, he would find the little boy who wanted to be his friend. In his dreams, he would play with the other boy while the voice watched over them. Really, the other boy was his only real friend, despite the fact that he only saw the other boy in his own mind, yet the voice assured him that the boy existed and that they would meet someday.  
  
Then, he decided that he didn't want to live here anymore, quite suddenly really. He wanted to meet his friend now. He didn't wish to feel the bitter bite of a slap across his face any longer, nor did he want to be taken against his will.  
  
He simply picked up the dull, rusted axe that leaned next to the hearth, and with strength that he had never carried before, he made the two men pay for every slap, every bruise, every sore muscle. He felt nothing when he butchered them, yet his act screamed of rage and pure hatred. Still, just as silently as he had always been, he removed the wood from the fire and walked away from that chapter of his life.  
  
As he gazed back at the building cabin, a strange smirk pulled at his lips. "I'm free. They can't hurt me. They could never break me because I was stronger than they were. They broke like puppets because I pulled on their strings." He cocked his head to the side, nodding slowly to himself. "Yes, I am the puppet-master, and I will bow down to will of no creature." He giggled childishly, insanely. "Beware my puppets, your master is free!"  
  
He turned and walked down the dirt path, cold smirk twisting his features. He stopped when he heard laughter, his gaze moving to the trees as the ghostly figure of his only friend laughed and weaved in between the trees. Smiling himself, he ran to join his only friend in play, the only thing that he would never rule over. He was an equal with the other boy, always had been. He stopped when the boy stopped and pointed to the ground, gaze moving from the dirt back to the boy in confusion. "What is it? Is something wrong?" He gasped in surprise as his friend started to melt into the ground, slowly at first, but quickly speeding up as the shadows moved to envelop the other boy. "Wait! No, don't leave me! I'm free now so we can be together!"  
  
'Silence, child. Think of this as a small game of hide and seek. He is hiding, and we must seek him out.' The voice whispered softly, fondly stroking the disheveled child's head, forcing attention on it. 'Let us begin our search, wretched boy.'  
  
He clenched his fists against the obvious insult. He was free now, and he would be ruled by nothing, not even the voice. Perhaps he would not over-throw its power just yet, but he would strive to break free of any strings that held him like a puppet. "Everything will be my puppet...."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Yuber sat bolt upright, breathing heavily as he gulped in air, shivering at the cold sweat that had built up on his skin. He forced himself to calm down, folding his hand together to stop them from moving. Slowly, he regain his composure, yet he could not help but let his gaze stray to the source of the vivid images. His gaze fixed on the long disheveled braid wrapped around his upper arm and followed it to the body it attached to. "Did you ever manage to end your little game of hide and seek?" He whispered softly, closing his eyes again.  
  
"Why would you ask a question that you already know the answer to?" Natas turned his head and opened his eyes, his gaze locking with the blonde's cool one. "I win." He stated egotistically.  
  
Yuber cocked his head to the side, a little confused. "You won what?"  
  
Natas chuckled softly as he sat up and slowly moved to the end of the bed. "I won our game, Yuber. I found you." He threw a sideways glance at the blonde. "The Eightfold Rune is incapable of lies, yet it can twist the truth as it pleases to ensure the best results. Actually, all of the True Runes can do so. They are the ultimate puppet-masters in the universal game of chess, controlling everything as they see fit so long as balance is kept. They control every creature, rune, and particle." He slowly turned to face Yuber, a saddened smile appearing slowly. "They control even me because I will never escape the strings of Fate. I am still a puppet living under the whims of the True Runes, just another pawn in the Eightfold Rune's scheme to gather chaos in its favour."  
  
"I will break your strings, Natas." Yuber met the blood red eyes of his ally. "When I break from the strings of Fate, I swear to you that your strings will be cut as well because you are my equal, the only equal that I will ever have. Everything else is just a puppet that you and I will control." He smiled when Natas' eyes widened considerably, obviously shocked. He nodded his head as the silver-haired man shook his head at him. He stood up, holding a hand out for his friend, a determined smile pulling at his lips. "Come Natas, solitary equal of the legendary Shield, let us take control of the strings of the puppets in this village."  
  
Natas slowly lifted a hand to Yuber's offered one, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet by the blonde. "Yes, it will be good to play with you again, my friend. It has been so very long." He called his sword to hand, examining the blade carefully before regarding Yuber again. "Are you the holy knight or the sly demon?"  
  
Yuber chuckled softly as he called his own sword to hand, rubbing the blade along Natas' glimmering one. "We are both demons, and Pesmerga is the holy knight out to put an end to our ways. Let us play a game with him."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Interesting, very much so. Sad as it is, I think that next chapter will be the last one for this story. I doubt that I will write another unless a new storyline comes jumping into my head. Oh well. Thanks for reading. 


	13. Dreams Clashing

Disclaimer: In no way do I claim any rights to the characters of the Suikoden series. I do not own them, nor did I have any hand in creating them. Please don't sue as I don't have any money and just want to write a fanfic.  
  
Only in Dreams  
  
By: Chibi Nataku  
  
Author's Note: Speech that starts with ' instead of " means mental talking. If a conversation is going on between Yuber and the Rune, it is purely in his mind, and assume that no one else is aware of the conversation, but can see any emotion that is displayed openly by the Rune-bearer.  
  
Chapter 12 - Dreams Clashing  
  
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Yuber stood perched on the large bolder, gaze flicking across the endless battlefield, idly humming to himself a tune that he often sung when he merciless butchered hundreds of men on a battlefield. The bodies that littered the ground lay in the motionless slumber of death, their strings forever cut by his hand. He had little interest in the corpses, his fun already come and gone with the tides of battle, yet he remained to wait for nightfall as he often did. He found that killing innocent people for the purpose of creating more war was best done at night for the simple fact that he knew fire showed up best against a blackened sky as he burned down the nearby village. It was a ritualistic act that he enjoyed greatly, and he had refined his skills for it over the past seven years.  
  
To him, time had pasted quickly and rather enjoyably. He and Natas had split more blood and been the cause of more wars than any other pair, yet he insisted that they remain to the mysterious shadows of history in order to keep people guessing where they may strike next. His skills with a blade were nearly unmatched, and he came to war for one purpose: to have lots of fun butchering mortals. Really, it was a life that he rather enjoyed leading, and he doubted that he would change it should the option present itself to him. He asserted his dominance over the pitiful race of men, making them cower with his very description.  
  
He cared little for any thing that was weaker than himself, refusing to be controlled unless it suited his amusement for the day. He was no longer bias towards mortals, slaughtering men, women, and their children equally without hesitation. Now nothing pleased him more than standing in a burning village while the horrified cries of the mortals echoed in his ears. He supposed that he could be called ruthless and even psychotic in nature, but he no longer opposed, mostly because some of the games he and Natas would play easily counted as such. There was only so many times that he and Natas could compete for the most kills when blindfolded before being labeled as heartless killers.  
  
The years had gone by him quickly and generally quietly, most of his time having spent with Natas with the odd encounter with Pesmerga who amused him with determination to put an end to him. Yet, he still snickered at the look on Pesmerga's face when Natas stepped out and stabbed the other Black Knight in the back for the first time. He had been forced to stop battle just to point and laugh at his rival, and he still told the tale often for a good laugh simply because Pesmerga had retreated so hastily. Certainly, the other Black Knight only appeared when Natas was off completing other errands, but Yuber knew that, in every fight he had with Pesmerga, Natas was always watching. It was obvious that Pesmerga knew this as well, mostly because of the constant glances behind Pesmerga's back as they fought. The only time Natas could not appear was if he resided in the World of Emptiness, but Yuber already knew his skills were above Pesmerga. He would soon make sure his brother knew that their battle would last for an eternity, or at least until he grew bored.  
  
He had only one more task to complete, yet he found it to be the most difficult. Things always seemed to fall into certain categories for him now: mortals were puppets; Natas was his only equal; Pesmerga was his rival; other True Rune bearers were a lesser threat to him; monsters were to be controlled. In his mind, everything should fall in one of the categories, but Mia never seemed to feel right in any of them. He refused to give her a category of her own because he would not reduce himself to weakness by fawning over her like a newborn kitten. He had been teased relentlessly by Natas about his expression when Mia came up in conversation, and the silver-haired man often tried imitating him whenever it would most embarrass him. Still, he desperately attempted to think of Mia as little as possible because he knew no matter how far he traveled or how many people he murdered, his feelings for his lover would never change. He spoke little of said feelings, sometimes only muttering a few words to Natas, because he knew that he was going to have to return to her someday to finish the task that he both loved and loathed, his transcention of humanity.  
  
Some days he tried to convince himself that by cutting away the strings that held Mia to the mortal plane would be best for her, that she too would no longer be tangled up by Fate. He somewhat wanted to believe that he could free her from being a puppet to Fate, yet she was somewhat his equal, and she stood behind his rival. He could never control her as he did monsters, which left a very empty spot in his logic. For him, Mia had once been life itself, constantly following at her heels for attention and never sticking up for himself. Now, he was everything he had dreamed of being, except Mia was elsewhere waiting to bless him with her attention. His thoughts of his lover often ran in circles, giving him a headache every time he tried to force himself to think of it from a heartless point of view.  
  
Still, he found his musing on parts of his life that he wished to ignore for the time being very annoying. He shifted on his perch and sighed heavily, removing his helmet if only to allow the cool breeze of evening to blow through his blonde locks of hair. He somewhat wished that Natas was here to provide some entertainment or at least a cynical comment in his general direction. He found himself quickly growing bored, something that he often did not like as it left his mind distracted and his back open for attack. Still, he took a few moments to let his mind wander to the previous events of death and slaughter of pitiful mortals.  
  
Yuber shifted his weight as a flash of movement caught his eyes, lifting his sword to parry any blow that a mortal would throw at him. He clenched his teeth as his sword arm burst into a fire of pain, a blade not his own smashing just above his elbow. He attempted to pull away from the attack, ripping himself off of the blade that had delved deep into his flesh, forcing him to drop his blade. He leapt back, clutching at the wound in more surprise than anger. His gaze shifted from the wound to the soldier standing nearby. "No mortal can inflict a wound on me. Who are you, boy, before I rip out your throat?"  
  
"I've waited for this day since the first time you escaped me. It is rare to catch you so unguarded and... so alone as well, Yuber. However, I will not pass up this chance to finally put an end to you." The soldier shifted and started to advance towards the Black Knight more boldly than any mortal would dare. "I do believe you have something of mine, accursed Shield. I want it back."  
  
"Pesmerga!" Yuber forced himself to his feet, a cold smirk forming on his elegant features. He was more than a little surprised to find his rival out of the normal Black Knight armour, yet he refused to show such emotions on his features. He would never show weakness to his brother, rather, he would make sure to make Pesmerga pay dearly for the wound that was inflicted on him. "You look so human, I almost didn't recognize you. However, now that I know who you are, I'll be sure to make your death extra painful."  
  
Pesmerga chuckled coldly, lifting his blade to point at the blonde's chest. "Big words for a creature who is wounded and unarmed, especially since your True Rune has entered a state of dormancy on you." He smirked at Yuber's growl at the mentioning of the True Rune the blonde carried. Today, he would finally kill Yuber and set his sister free of a horrible fate. "We can do this the hard way, or we can do this the easy way. The choice is really yours, but I know that your ally cannot hear your calls. Today, this battle is just you and me."  
  
Yuber snorted and called his blade back to his hand, twirling it slowly to get used to the feeling of using his off hand. He had practiced little with his weapon in his off hand, mostly because he never felt that it would come in use for him during a battle, however, now he was beginning to regret it. He knew that Pesmerga was very skilled with a blade, their battles usually ending in a tie until Natas stepped in to urge the fight into a positive direction for him. Still, he knew that he was better than Pesmerga, and he only needed a bit more effort to win; he would never lose to his rival.  
  
He clenched his right hand, grinding his teeth as more blood slipped from his wounded arm and pain raced up his shoulder and down his spine. He dug his heels into the ground as Pesmerga charged, slapping away most of the blow with his own blade, smirking as his rival's blade danced off of his armour. In response to the attack, he swung out his wounded arm, intent on breaking a few teeth from Pesmerga's face, eyes narrowing when his brother dodged the blow. He swung his blade out, forcing the other Black Knight a few steps away and guarded any attack that would surely fly his way.  
  
Pesmerga could bearly believe how helpless Yuber was against his attacks, the power of the blonde's parries severely weakened in the off-hand. Even Yuber's stance seemed a bit off balance, something that he planned to use to his full advantage. "Face it, you cannot win. You are wounded, you have no True Rune, and you are alliless. Face your defeat with some honour, brother." He took a menacing step towards Yuber, a bit surprised when the blonde took a small step back from him.  
  
"You think me powerless? That could lead to your downfall despite the advantages that you THINK that you have." Yuber clenched his hand, ignoring the pain this time to focus on the dull part of his mind that housed the still coccooned Eightfold Rune. It had yet to move in all the seven years that he had traveled, a fact that now really annoyed him.  
  
Pesmerga chuckled softly, stopping a few feet away from the blonde, hand now on his hip as he regarded his brother. "In all my years, I have relied on my own strength, unlike you. You, dear brother, have been babied your entire life, always having a presence to guide you down the path set out for you despite your own soft whines against such. You are weak because you now need your little friends to actually defeat me rather than letting your own strengths guide you. This is why I will defeat you on this night. I am stronger than you, in every way possible except possibly in social skills, but right now, such things are petty." He smirked at Yuber's very sour expression, taking another menacing step towards the blonde, bringing his sword in striking distance.  
  
"Hmpt, I would rather call what I do a full use of all my resources." Yuber forced down in anger at being called weak, instead wanted to turn the tables on the other Black Knight. "However, if you feel as you do, I will be sure to make sure that you too much use all of the resources of this pitiful planet by running from you every chance that I get, if only to annoy you more. Don't forget, I still have this." He raised his right hand at Pesmerga, allowing his rival to come eye-to-eye with the very possession that drove the other Black Knight to persue him so relentlessly.  
  
"Bastard!" Pesmerga yelled as he leapt at Yuber, his blade swinging out to cleave the blonde in two, growling a rage as Yuber slipped back out of range of the attack. Unwilling to leave most of his power with the other Black Knight, Pesmerga continued his charge forward, his blade lashing out with lightning speed, performing a deadly dance that a normal mortal would be unable to avoid. However, Yuber was not a normal mortal and slipped in and out of each deadly accurate swing and thrust, causing Pesmerga to growl more and more in frustration. As his frustration build up, he finally grew much too angry to completely his final swings, instead he punched Yuber in the face, a move that he was not accustomed to doing and it showed as the blonde stumbled back and fell down holding wounded pride and a wounded face.  
  
Yuber rubbed his wounded nose, grimacing as blood dripped over his lips, a clear sign that Pesmerga had managed to break his nose. He really had to start looking out for people throwing their fists at his face, mostly because he was much too concentrated on avoiding sword blades to be paying attention to someone's empty hand. Still, he had little time to revel in movements he would need to start practicing as Pesmerga's sword was once again lashing out in his direction, a blow that could probably severely cripple him. He twisted to the side, rolling away from the blow, which landed seconds after his movement away, forcing himself back to his feet to parry the next sword blow.  
  
Yuber clinched his left hand around his blade, gaze shifted from Pesmerga to his hand as electricity crackled up his arm. 'Hello, I haven't used you in a very long time...Let us give Pesmerge a bit of a shock, shall we?' Grinning, as Pesmerga continued to put strength against him, he allowed himself to sink to one knee as he charged up his lightning rune. He saw the other Black Knight's eyes widen moments before lightning leapt from his hand and traveled between their blades, smirking at Pesmerga's grunt of pain as his brother flew back a few feet. He climbed to his own feet slowly, taking a bit of time to investigate his wounded arm closely; a large gash that easily exposed the bone met his gaze, making his wince in pain just looking at it.  
  
Pesmerga wrapped arms around his body in hopes of stopping the small convulsions that were making his world spin, clinching his teeth together to keep them from chattering. Eventually, he managed to get a hold of his body and stood again, surprised that his rival did not attack him. He was even more shocked to find Yuber bandaging the wounds that he had inflicted with a strip from the blue cape that hung around the blonde. 'I didn't think that I got him that good. Obviously, he is more wounded than he lets on. Excellent, I will finish him.' He took a step towards the blonde, intent of finishing Yuber off while the blonde's attention was elsewhere. He was a bit unprepared when Yuber jumped up and kicked dirt into his face, turning away to try to escape the invading particles. His breath left his lungs as he felt metal sink into his flesh, dropping to one knee as Yuber pinned him to the ground with a sword through his lower leg. Yet, instead of evening thinking of stopping his intended kill, his blade shot out with lightning speed, and he smiled in triumph as Yuber let out a small, shocked cry and stumbled away from him.  
  
Perhaps he had been too cocky, or perhaps he had never seen Pesmerga move that fast before, but in either case, he grabbed his right side. He looked down, convinced that his armour had failed him and given way under the force of Pesmerga's blow, but was shocked to find that the other Black Knight's blade had slipped into the small space left between his breastplate and leg armour. He felt blood slip between his fingers as he felt to his knees, desperate to get back to his feet, but his legs refused to obey his command, and he was forced to remain sitting as he felt liquid rise in his throat. He only stare in slight bewilderment as drops of ruby red liquid slipped from between his lips that landed on the flat of his sword as he coughed in discomfort. Again, he looked at the wound that had him on the ground. 'A...lucky shot? No...He can't defeat me, especially not from because of a lucky shot!' His pain quickly turned into anger as spots formed at the edges of his vision. 'No, I am better than he is! I will not be defeated by the likes of him! Fate! Damn you! Damn you! When I find you, I will make you feel more pain than you can even dream up! I will kill you, Fate!'  
  
He was vaguely aware of Pesmerga behind him, and he was somewhat surprised by this. 'Was he attempting to give me a knight's death, an honourable death? How foolish of him.' Still, he stared at his reflection in his blade, behind him a mirror image of himself with black hair standing menacingly with a sword raised to strike a final blow. "Mia...I'm sorry..."  
  
Pesmerga blinked as he heard Yuber speak his sister's name but refused to lower his sword. He was rid this world of a demon, and he would save his sister from the fate that had been so gruesomely handed down to her. He knew that he was doing the right thing, if only to get back the rest of his power, which was stolen from him. "Die, demon." He spoke softly, bringing his sword tip down.  
  
'It can't end like this, boy! I won't let you die until you show me your real power, little maggot! Get up!' Yuber's eyes snapped open as the Eightfold Rune ripped forward in his mind, much larger and angry than he last remembered it. Still, he let out a small whimper as the Rune grabbed his mind roughly and forced him to teleport away without even telling him where they were going. He felt the tip of a sword brush against his flesh just as he was transported elsewhere, along with an angered shout from Pesmerga. The translocation left him in pain, and he was unable to lift his head to look around his surroundings, but he felt the Eightfold Rune in his mind, pacing. 'It's time to be a man, maggot. You will transend your humanity, if only to show up that brat who is chasing you.' Yuber closed as much of his mind off to the Rune's invading presence, but it brutally forced itself to all edges of his conscious and subconscious mind, stopping over one small memory that he carried, and he knew exactly what it was. 'Natas... alive? Impossible...'  
  
'No, I saved him before he could die by taking him to the mortal world. He is my ally and guards the World of Emptiness when I cannot. You will never kill him so long as I am conscious enough to stop you.' Yuber stated stubbornly, feeling the True Rune seizing with anger at this new slight revelation.  
  
The Eightfold Rune filtered through the blonde's memories that contained Natas, the only creature that had managed to turn it into a puppet as well as the rest of the world. Yet, it kept its own thoughts about the silver-haired brat to itself. It watched one memory float by, shoving it towards the blonde. 'Seems like more than allies to me.'  
  
Yuber knew that if he wasn't so wounded and in pain, he probably would have blushed slightly at the kiss that Eightfold Rune managed to dig up. 'Such things don't concern you. Stay out of my memories, or I'll rip your legs off.'  
  
'Oh, gotten arrogant in your old age, maggot? Well, just remember that I'm the reason that you are still alive right now.' It investigated the blonde's condition, finding it to be quickly deteriorating. 'However, you won't be alive for much longer at this rate. Let me see if I can draw someone to you...' It sent out mental tendrils, chuckling at finding a young child playing some dirt. He pulled at the boy's mind, attempting to draw it towards the wounded blonde.  
  
Yuber quickly found that he could not return to his body and attempt to get to his feet. He was trapped in unconsciousness and forced to attempt to keep his mind awake enough to resist the pull of death. He quickly found himself being swallowed in a black sea of oily liquid, struggling desperately to keep his head above this liquid, knowing that if he faltered, he may never wake up again. Still, he knew he was growing tired and sunk after only a little struggling. Yet, as the darkness swallowed him, he heard a voice, a small voice but a voice all the same, and it reminded him of himself when he was very young.  
  
"Mommy! Mommy! There's a dead man in our yard! Come quick! Look at the dead man!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Yuber sat bolt upright, grabbing at his bandaged side as soon as he managed to register pain. He shook in pain, but he forced himself to be stronger than the pain that plagued him and climbed to his feet and wobble slightly. He caught himself on the bedpost and breathed as best as he could, forcing himself to admit a slight defeat and take some time to adjust to standing wounded.  
  
Eventually, he managed to stand fully upright, looking down at himself to investigate his condition. He found bandages covering his right arm, his midsection, and even around his neck, but he found that wounds themselves were no longer as bad as they had been on the battlefield. He could sense the residual power of rune on his body, an obvious sign that he had been saved by a water rune, so he was most likely in a healer's house. Though he was weakened by his wounds, he knew that he could probably move well enough to leave this town and make it back to where Natas was to fully recover in the safety of the World of Emptiness. However, he found one problem with this plan and that was the fact that he could not see his armour in the room with him.  
  
The fact that someone had managed to remove his armour impressed him, mostly because the metal would only release him if he wished it, however, he knew that probably the True Rune could also do the same affect. Now that he was without his armour though, he had two options in his mind. One was to leave this room and kill whoever remained in this establishment, or he could wait for someone to check on him and get the answers he wanted. Really, it all depended on his mood and at this point, he was not too sure that strangling the people who had saved him from death would be just payment, and he was not too sure if he could even muster the strength the choke the life out of a miserable being anyway. However, he muses were cut short by a feminine, commanding voice behind him.  
  
"What are you doing out of bed?! Yuber, have you no mind for your own health?! Get back under those covers right now, or I will force you there myself!" The woman said, hands on her hips and looking all too commanding of any situation that she put herself in.  
  
Yuber turned to face the healer slowly, not the type to take orders from anyone unless it suited his fancy. Yet, the moment his narrowed gaze fell upon his lover, he felt himself immediately throw in the towel and nodded almost dumbly as he climbed back under the warm covers of the bed that he had been put in.  
  
'Coward' The Eightfold Rune muttered from the back of the blonde's mind, intent on watching the events that were to unfold.  
  
Mia stalked over to Yuber's side and forced his shoulders back to the bed, glaring at his boldness. Obviously, she had been too much of a practicing healer now to accept any sort of bad behaviour even from her own lover. Still, much of her intolerance towards him was mostly at his actions the last time that she had seen him. "Don't look so shocked to see me. I'm the healer for the Kalekka village so all wounded come to me first." Her gaze shifted from fussing over his bandages to his face which seemed much too relaxed for someone that had been on the brink of death only days before. "You are lucky to be alive. I barely managed to save you. The only reason you survived was because you managed to collapse in my front yard."  
  
"I had faith in your abilities." Yuber stated, a fond smile pulling at his lips.  
  
"Well, I'm glad that you did. I had lots of time to practice them since I was left alone for seven years while you were out doing whatever you were doing. Because of the wars breaking out, I was beginning to believe that you had been killed. I was forced to move on with my life without you." Mia was surprised how neutral she kept her voice because she had always managed to speak her mind in forceful tones when she was angry. Now that Yuber was awake, she found herself furious with him for picking up and running off without a single word to her. "You really hurt me by running off, Yuber. I had always thought better of you."  
  
Yuber did his best to shrug his shoulders, his gaze moving to the blanket rather than his lover. "I seemed to have hurt a lot of people, mostly the ones that I love. I don't much care for the other people that I hurt because I don't know them."  
  
Mia sat down beside the blonde, brushing bangs from his face and forcing their gazes to meet. She looked away from the battle-hardened, cold blue eyes that stared back at her. "You've changed over these years. I think you've lost your gentle side in all the blood that you've split in the battles."  
  
Yuber cocked his head to the side, contemplating before he finally just shrugged his shoulders again. "War does that to people. I've split a lot of blood, even painted the fields red with my very presence. I am a soldier who delivers death to those foolish enough to oppose me." He spoke clearly and plainly, not in the mood to butter-up any of his words for Mia. He already knew that she suspected the truth that he was not in the wars to be on any one side, rather, he was there to spill a little blood.  
  
"Yes, I've heard the stories about the mysterious Black Knight who appears at almost any battle where he has the chance to cut down innocent peasants defending their lands." She spoke almost sadly, finally letting all her denials fall away from her mind. She had prayed that those stories were untrue about the fierce blonde wrapped in black armour who walked with an equally dangerous silver-haired friend. "I had hoped that those stories were untrue."  
  
Yuber forced himself into sitting position, leaning back against the wall as if he was not wounded at all. He felt a smirk pull at his lips and held out his hands towards Mia, allowing her a good look at his palms. "The stories you hear are mostly untrue. People over-exaggerate to make themselves seem much more important and brave." He met Mia's gaze evenly. "I am mysterious, and I am a Black Knight. I do walk into to battles to cut down ignorant fools. However, peasants defending their land means nothing to me so I do not specifically go out to kill them. I will kill anyone who steps in my path." He watched Mia's gaze fill with tears, but continued to speak. "I will kill any man, woman, or child whom I please. They are all just puppets to me, creatures set upon this miserable planet to live in fear of death because they are cowards. Weakness has no hold on me, and I revel in the blood of the weak so prove that only the strong survive."  
  
Perhaps he should have avoided the very obvious slap coming his way, but he did not, rather, he accepted it as the reprimand of a mother to her child. His gaze switched from the wall that he was now looking at back to Mia who was on her feet. He watched her glare down at him and smiled warmly. "You wanted the truth, did you not?"  
  
"Stop it, Yuber! Just stop!" Mia took a step away from her lover and shook her head, wiping away the tears that slipped down her cheeks. After a few minutes, she managed to force herself to look at the blonde again, a bit surprised to find him on his feet again. "You aren't supposed to tell me such things! You are supposed to tell me that you are sorry for running off and leaving me all alone, and you are supposed to tell me that you will stay with me from now on. I don't care about what you did back then! Just tell me that you love me and that you will stay for at least a little while!"  
  
Yuber cocked his head to the side, a bit confused. Perhaps he had read the situation wrong because he certainly wasn't expecting this response from Mia. Still, he could not deny her and wrapped her in a warm, protective embrace. "I do love you, and I will stay with you, if only for a few days."  
  
"Mommy, are you okay? I hear you yelling at the dead man."  
  
Yuber let his gaze drift to the open door, a blonde eyebrow rising as he was faced with a small child holding a small brown teddy bear. The boy couldn't have been older than seven, with a slight build, mused locks of black hair that were in desperate need of a cutting, and intense blue eyes that held more innocence that was generally found in children. The boy shuffled more into the room, eyeing Yuber as much as Yuber was eyeing him. Though he could already guarantee that the child was his, he still held his tongue about how scrawny the whelp was. He waited for Mia to introduce them.  
  
Mia looked between Yuber and her son, sighing when the two continued to stare at one another. They were much too similar in personality than was good for a child. She smiled and went over to the little boy, bending to smooth down the wild locks of black hair and wipe some dirt from his face, receiving a pout. "Yuber, this is your son." She spoke plainly, making sure to keep her back to the blonde, unsure of his reaction to the boy. "He is a good boy, much to stubborn for his own good, but he is healthy and protective, much like his father."  
  
Yuber couldn't help but assess the boy for his fighting potential, finding it quite promising with a bit of rough, hard training. Though the boy was slight in build, it was obvious that the child would grow and fill out into a strong, sturdy frame. Finally, he sighed to himself. "Does he have a name or do you want me to call him 'boy'?" Yuber shuttered as the True Rune chuckled and cracked a comment, shoving it back more in his mind.  
  
Mia finally stood and turned to regard Yuber, her hands on her son's shoulders. "I called him 'Joshua'." She looked down at her little boy, smiling at him when their gazes met. "Joshua, go to your father. I know you wanted to see him for a long time."  
  
Yuber watched the boy walk over to him slowly and their gazes met equally. He was surprised that the child dare to met his gaze, a sign that the boy would be strong when he received some training. He bent slowly to look at the child at eye-level, seeing much too many characteristics of himself than he would really like to admit. He slowly reached out to brush wild bangs from the boy's face, smirking when the boy stepped away from his touch. "You got a problem, boy?"  
  
"I hate you." Joshua said.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Bleh, I was so unhappy with the length of this chapter. Though I don't want this story to end, I kind of wanted this to be the last chapter. Still, I suppose I'm up to writing another chapter and this time, I promise that it will be the last one, well, except for the epilogue. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading. 


	14. When Dreams come from Boredom

Disclaimer: In no way do I claim any rights to the characters of the Suikoden series. I do not own them, nor did I have any hand in creating them. Please don't sue as I don't have any money and just want to write a fanfic.  
  
Only in Dreams  
  
By: Chibi Nataku  
  
Author's Note: Speech that starts with ' instead of " means mental talking. If a conversation is going on between Yuber and the Rune, it is purely in his mind, and assume that no one else is aware of the conversation, but can see any emotion that is displayed openly by the Rune-bearer.  
  
Chapter 13 - When Dreams come from Boredom  
  
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It had been three days since Yuber had gained consciousness after Pesmerga managed to find and humiliate him, luckily without any witnesses. Still, he wished that he had never gained back conscious until he was fully healed, mostly because he was bored out of his skull and was not allowed to step foot out of bed unless he had a bathroom emergency, something he no longer had an excuse for, though he made sure to use it regularly if only to prevent himself to counting the knots in the wood ceiling for the hundredth time. Now he could only amuse himself with stray thoughts about how bored he was and that he would need to slaughter an entire country to make up for lost time and amusement value.  
  
'Ma~ggot, you are disappointing m~e! A~muse me, ma~ggot!' The Eightfold Rune chimed.  
  
Yuber gritted his teeth and shook his head at the overly musical tone that the Eightfold Rune had taken up since his awakening, and it was equally as bored with his current predicament. Really, he was trying to figure out whether silence or talking to the True Rune was better for him, a decision that easily came down to the fact that at least the spider knew how to keep them both from killing his son by showing him images of past wars it had been through. Still, no image could compare to the thrill of feeling a blade pass effortlessly through another mortal's flesh, and he was quickly growing weary of not being able to participate in battle for three whole days.  
  
He would have gotten up and wandered off had Mia not shown off her maternal side to him and had even caused to the True Rune to go silent on several occasions with her reprimands. So, he was forced to remain lying in a bed that was much too lumpy on the left side, probably from that miserable brat that was his son jumping on the bed. He did not so much wish harm upon his own child, but the boy was much too annoying for his tastes, always peeking in on him and screaming that the 'dead man' was attempting another silent escape out the window. If the brat decided to get close enough, he might find it in his heart to strangle the life out of the boy and raise him back to life again for discipline.  
  
'Ma~ggot!'  
  
'Stop calling me that, wretched spider.' Yuber chimed back at the Eightfold Rune, glaring at the spider as it seemed to contemplate a sing and dance routine to humiliate him further. It had already reenacted his battle with Pesmerga a few times, making especially sure to force him to watch every time. His frustration was growing with the wretched beast, almost as much as it was with his stupid child. 'Why do you call me that, anyway? You always called me 'boy' before.'  
  
The Eightfold Rune chuckled at the blonde's frustration and rolled onto its back, kicking its legs in the air. God, it was so bored. It could practically image the blood it could have split. Still, it had managed to reserve itself to tormenting Yuber for lying to it about Natas. 'Well, you see, I used to call you 'boy' all the time because that is exactly what you were, a useless boy.' It rolled itself back to its feet and wandered forward in the blonde's mind, seeming to flop down beside the blonde's main consciousness. 'But, since you have taken it upon yourself to improve, you have graduated to 'maggot' so that is what I call you.'  
  
Yuber quirked an eyebrow in slight confusion. 'Aren't children higher on the food-chain than maggots?'  
  
'Depends on your perception, but no. Maggots are far less useless than boys. They actually do things, and...well, spiders tend to eat maggots not boys so are much more useful.' It chuckled at the blonde's unimpressed look in its general direction and signed heavily, almost painfully. 'Please, just get up and run away! This is getting worse than torture, maggot!'  
  
"Don't have to tell me twice." Yuber muttered softly, letting his head fall back against the wood of the headboard, waiting for Mia to come in and order him to sit still while she checked his bandages, which had reduced to just a few around his chest, the rest of his wounds having healed with the help of the water rune. Why Mia didn't just heal him completely made him wonder if she was out to torture him for the fun of it. He could see this as his punishment for running off, he supposed, but that did not mean he had to be happy about it. In fact, he pouted quite often to show his unhappiness about being ordered around.  
  
He leaned out of bed to try and catch a glimpse of Mia, smirking arrogantly when he found her grinding herbs and boiling them over a fire, back to him. He could sneak out and run off without her noticing, though he would have to come back for his armour, but that could be arranged. Pulling the covers back, he climbed to his feet, gaze on the doorway to make sure that he was not being watched by the miserable whelp he could call a son and silently crept towards the window, stopping with a stunned gasp as the tip of a sword pressed into the back of his neck threateningly, forcing him to stop his escape plans. Really, the time staying in this house only seemed to get worse the longer he remained in it, and now he was forced to deal with a vengeful Pesmerga again. For what it was worth to his dignity, he remained silent, preparing to attempt an escape should the other Black Knight strike him.  
  
"Well, well, well, looks like someone is trying to make a quick and dirty escape without even bothering to say good-bye." The voice seemed much too amused for its own good.  
  
Yuber felt his body go rigid as the voice reached his ears and the sword left his neck, instead moving to smack his bottom roughly, forcing him to jump a bit with the blow. He whirled to find an extremely amused Natas balancing a sword across his elegant shoulders, mocking grin making Yuber scowl at the former Black Knight. He stalked over to Natas, grabbing a stray piece of hair that crept his way and tugging it more than roughly, his face going straight for the silver-haired man's ear. "Took you long enough to show up! Do you have any idea how painful this experience has been?! Dammit Natas!" He slipped around the former Black Knight and back beneath the sheets as rustling from the other room drew his attention, not wanting to cause his lover to come in and check on him.  
  
Natas grinned and leaned back against a nearby wall, all too amused by the fact that Yuber was being forced to remain in this place against his will. He knew that the blonde would not leave the woman in the other room without a real reason. His blood-red gaze traveled to the other room to watch the woman that had managed to catch Yuber's attention for all these years. He cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow of interest as the ebony-haired woman bent to check on her boiling herbs. "Geez, look at that. I can see why you stay, Yuber." He glanced at the blonde who leaned to catch a glimpse of what he had been looking at, chuckling when piercing blue eyes glared at him. "That is quite a piece of work with all the right...curves. Why, if I wasn't such a blood-thirsty murderous bastard, I might actually want to...?"  
  
"Finish that sentence and I will beat you to death with a small, miserable child." Yuber threatened.  
  
Natas chuckled softly and shook his head, brushing a wandering lock of silver hair back over his shoulder, gaze set squarely on Mia again. He felt his amusement leave him and seriousness take over. "I cannot stay long, my friend. There has been a strange woman that I do not recognize sniffing about looking for you, one with quite a bit of magical abilities. She has already sent out her little lap dog to attempt to harass me, but I never did like vampires too much. I made sure that this...Neclord as he was called, knew that messing with the leader of the World of Emptiness is an act that he should rethink." He let his eyes wander to where Yuber was contemplating, watching at the blonde's eye clouded with an emotion before it disappeared quickly again. "I've been keeping my eye on this woman and her vampire friend. Though they do not seek out desperately, their urgency is growing it would seem. You're a starting to get popular, Yuber. I would watch your back, if I were you."  
  
Yuber snorted and flexed his once damaged arm, feeling the crackling energy of the True Rune jump up his arm. His gaze flicked to Natas who remained leaning casually against the wall, however, Yuber could tell that the former Black Knight was on edge. "I have no need to watch my back, Natas." His gaze met the blood red one of Natas. "I have you to do that for me." He felt a smirk pull at his lips as the silver-haired man nodded wordlessly and pushed off of the wall. "What of Pesmerga?"  
  
"He contains his rage at your escape and seeks you out. I think he knows where you are, but he cannot reach you without at least a few months hard travel. Still, he moves to kill you as we speak." Natas took a step towards the doorway and turned to face Yuber fully. "I will keep an eye on him as well, if you so desire."  
  
Yuber nodded after a few seconds of thought. "Do, and keep your guard about you with this...vampire. I don't want my position revealed until I know what it is they seek in me, aside from causing bloodshed."  
  
Natas nodded resolutely and prepared to leave the blonde to more torture. "Don't enjoy the silence of this room too much." He smirked at Yuber's venomous glare and swept his hair over his shoulders, looking around for the best way to escape from this warm, well-lit dungeon. He blinked in slight surprise to find his gaze lock with demanding green orbs before just settling for quirking an eyebrow and sweeping himself into a gracious bow. "It appears your woman has caught our secret talk, dear Yuber. By the look in her eyes, and what fine eyes they are, I would think that you may be in trouble. As I am not that much of a friend to you, I will abandon you to her whims."  
  
Yuber sat up and scowled at Natas' attempt at gentlemanly conduct, not sure if the former Black Knight was attempting a joke or was actually serious. It was not until the silver-haired man disappeared from sight, and Mia stalked into the room that he realize just how much Natas was not joking. He sighed heavily and attempted to keep himself from rolling his eyes, without much success. He managed to reduce himself to glaring at the child that peeked around Mia's dress and glared back at him.  
  
"Who was that, Yuber?" Mia asked, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible, though she was well aware who that individual probably was. She did not want any association of Yuber that could cause harm to her child to be anywhere near this house, let alone inside of it. A part of her was ashamed for the silent treatment that she had been giving him over the last three days, but she was desperate not to fall into his arms and sob about how unfair the world was that he would leave her again once he was healed. And she knew that he would leave again once his wounds had mended, which was part of the reason that she did not heal his wounds entirely. She wanted Yuber to stay, if only for a little while longer. Her love for him, though now well-hidden through years of training, was still the same as it was before he left the first time. She was aware of the change in him, but she could look past all that if he could just spend one day with her as her lover again.  
  
Yuber quirked an eyebrow at Mia's prolonged silent and distant gaze, wondering what she was thinking about. Sometimes he was always wondering what she was thinking. He could burn whole villages, slaughter without mercy, rule over an entire world, but he could still not understand the workings of a woman. However, when her gaze became clear and demanding once more, he merely shrugged his shoulders. "That was Natas. He is an associate of mine."  
  
Mia scowled at Yuber honesty. "I recognize him from the descriptions that I have heard. He is the man you travel with, is he not?"  
  
"Indeed, we work together on occasion." Yuber replied in slight disinterest. He really wished that miserable brat would take just one maybe two steps closer to him then he could really show the boy it was rude to glare at a superior being.  
  
"Occasionally?" Mia questioned, taking a step forward to check the bandages that wound the only remaining wound on the blonde's body. Her voice softened as her finger worked to remove the white material and check the wound that was almost nearly healed. She rewound the bandages when she was content with the progress of healing, gaze flicking up to meet Yuber's blue one. She found herself staring into his hardened eyes, images of battles once fought and of a spider watching her back, looking away when she could no longer bear to think of the vile acts the blonde had committed. She stood back and sighed heavily as she wiped her hands on her dress. "You should be ready to leave again soon, probably if you wish, tomorrow. I will not stop you."  
  
Yuber was surprised at the defeated edge to his lover's voice, cocking his head to the side questionably. He sat up fully and swung his legs out, watching Mia to see if she would reprimand him for attempting to stand. When he received none, he climbed to his full height and shook out his golden mane. His gaze switched from towering over his son to Mia who was keeping her gaze downwards. Gently, he lifted her chin with a finger, their gazes meeting again, though he was well aware that she did not like to look into his eyes for too long. "Will you miss me if I go?"  
  
Mia bit her lip and slowly nodded her head. She had promised herself that she would not over-react should Yuber decide to leave again. In the back of her mind, she knew that it was inevitable, but still, she denied that the blonde no longer had feelings for her. She really wanted him to stay.  
  
Yuber felt something, a piece of himself long since buried, rip, and he gasped slightly. Whatever it was, it was gone as quickly as it had come. The only remaining human part of himself said something that he was not sure if he wanted to regret or not. "I will stay, Mia. I will stay for as long as I can, but I fear that it will not be long."  
  
Mia blinked at the sudden softness in Yuber's voice, sounding so much like the boy she had raised all those years back to be a man. She found that even the blonde's eyes had softened considerably. Slowly, cautiously, she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his muscular chest, running her hands up his back to rest on his sleek shoulder blades. It had been so long since she had been able to hold the blonde like this. She forced herself to allow this moment of absolute security in Yuber's strong arms, a moment that she wished would continue forever.  
  
'Maggot, why not stab her in the back now? It's a perfect moment.' The Eightfold Rune pestered, prodding at the blonde's carefully placed mental shields.  
  
'Shut it, spider.' Yuber ordered and felt the True Rune forced away from his mind before it finally just slinked away back to its webbing.  
  
The Eightfold Rune passed one last glance back at the blonde and grumbled. 'Well, at least slap that miserable brat you call a progeny upside the head while you are there.' It felt itself forced back again, eight eyes narrowing considerably. The blonde was getting more than a little good at controlling its voice, something that it would not tolerate. It would need to act quickly to keep its hold on the blonde's mind, and quick it would be. It would wait for the perfect moment to act.  
  
Mia eventually forced herself to release her hold on Yuber and pulled away, pretending to dust her hands on her apron. She quickly gathered herself and looked up at the blonde who was watching her carefully. She forced a smile on her face and sighed. "Are you feeling well enough to go to town with me?" She started to walk from room, surprised when a blonde flash leapt by her and settled in a predatory stance next to the fire. "I will take that as a 'yes' then. Good, you can carry the supplies that I need." She was surprised when Yuber's eager face failed to falter and chuckled softly, shaking her head slightly.  
  
Yuber would do just about anything to get out of this dreadful place if only for an hour or even a few minutes. Besides, he was very good at lifting things now, but he was worried about how he should around normal everyday society. All he had to do was keep reminding himself that killing innocent people is not the proper way to act. If he could keep his hands to himself, everything would be fine...unless Natas choose that moment to show up and duel him. Still, he could handle normal society again, really, he could.  
  
Mia picked up a spare shirt and tossed at Yuber, raising an eyebrow as he snatched it out of the air and put it on in one fluid movement. Smiling, she picked up the basket she always took to town and beckoned Yuber to follow her, stepping out into her yard and looking around for her son. She easily found him glaring at Yuber from behind a tree, something she was beginning to get used to. There was an obvious rivalry between the two men in her life. "Joshua, mommy is going to town with Yuber. Do want to come?"  
  
Yuber crossed his fingers and hoped that the boy would decide that hanging around him was a bad idea. When the brat nodded his head and ran over to Mia, he flexed his hands. "Remember, keep your hands to yourself, Yuber...There is no need to strangle the life out of your son. You don't want to feel the soft struggles of a dying creature, that desperate fight for life that practically drives your entire existence..." He kept reminding himself softly as he walked a few meters behind Mia. It was probably the worst walk of his entire life, just staring at the little boy that bounced beside Mia's side, hand tucked protectively in his mother's soft one. He felt his right hand twitch and move for the scruff of the boy's neck, pulling it back to scratch his head when Mia shot a look back at him. "Geez, she's good..."  
  
"Yuber, walk beside me." Mia ordered, shooting a glare when she felt his eyes narrow at her order. She stopped when he threatened to not listen to her, pointing at the spot where she wanted the blonde to be. When he just stared in defiance at her, she set her jaw and put her hands on her hips, her visual 'mad' position. "Yuber, I'm not fighting with you. If you don't like it, you can march your sorry butt right back to that cabin and stare at the wall."  
  
Yuber quirked a skeptical eyebrow at Mia. He may be in love with her, but he was damned if she thought she could order him around like some sorry puppy. He refused to take orders from anyone unless it suited his mood and right now, he was not about to give up any of his new freedom. "You can't order me around. I refuse to listen to anyone's orders."  
  
Mia felt her eyes narrow. Not many people in the entire village dared to push her far enough when she need to force them to listen to her. She felt her left hand clench, the water rune glowed softly to show her anger. "Oh yes, you will. I saved your life, Yuber. You owe me."  
  
Yuber blinked in slight surprise. "That's a cheap and dirty trick..." He growled as he forced himself to walk to the spot where Mia wanted him. Certainly, he didn't have to listen to Mia, but she pulled a trick that only other creatures of darkness pulled and usually won. He had used it several times on Natas, and he knew how much it angered the former Black Knight. He couldn't believe he allowed himself to have the same tricked use on him. Still, he wanted to stay outside longer than Mia appeared to have intended should he continue to refuse.  
  
"Good boys. No fighting now." Mia felt her smile return and continued to walk towards town. She allowed Yuber to wander back and forth along the road, not really caring how he acted until they reached town. "Now boys, I want you both on best behaviour when we are in town." She said as they reached the village's edge.  
  
"Yes mother." Yuber shot back, looking away when Mia's eyes found him. He knew the rules and had been repeating them to himself for the entire trip. Keep his hands to himself. He wandered behind Mia again as they entered town, watching as practically every villager greeted her and stared at him. They never commented on him, but it was obvious that there were questions floating through their minds. He refused to let his mysterious nature fly out of proportion simply because people might ask questions about him.  
  
Mia walked over to where her new supplies where waiting, bending to investigate that all the required goods were there. She smiled when she found all of her herbs, bandages, and new gardening equipment was all accounted for. She carefully wrapped up all of the supplies and glanced over as Joshua as the boy moved to play with some of his friends. Smiling, she stood again and looked back at Yuber who was looking around the village of Kalekka. For the reputation that he held, he was an awfully good behaviour; maybe all those stories were just blown out of proportion and made Yuber out to be something that he was not.  
  
Yuber passed a smirk over to Mia when she kindly asked him to carry her supplies for her. Looking at the two packages, he snorted and lifted both with one hand, resting the supplies on his shoulder as if it weighed nothing at all. Really, it was not that heavy, for him at least. Probably for a normal mortal, it would be quite heavy with all the gardening supplies, but for him, it was lighter than his armour. However, the various stares of shock, one of which was Mia, told him that these were all just normal, pitiful mortals. He smirked arrogantly before blinking when Mia seemed to grow a little excited with his show of strength. "What?"  
  
"Oh, I'm so glad, Yuber! That's not to heavy for you?" Mia smiled warmly when he shook his head. For a wounded man, he could sure carrying his own and then some. "Would you be able to carry something else then?" She felt her smile broaden when he nodded and wrapped arms around him tightly. "It's so good to have you back. I can finally get all of my supplies at once! Thank you!" She handed Yuber her money pouch and ran off to find the mayor for the picture that she had won which was much too heavy for her to carry on her own. Certainly, she could have asked some of the men of the village to do it, but she never wanted to bother them from their work.  
  
Yuber stared at Mia as she left him standing in the middle of the bustling street then transferred his gaze to the money pouch in his previously empty hand. "You forgot your money..." He then thought that she was doing this to enforce his rule about keeping his hands to himself and forced himself to continue to hold it even as people brushed by him. He amused himself with thoughts of how many people he could club by turning with the tools over his shoulder. Still, he really didn't have a lot of time to muse when Mia returned with an older man in tow helping her carry a strange and rather large box. He investigated it when they arrived back at his spot, finding an intricate drawing of the world. He kept his mouth shut at some of the mistakes that were on it, mostly because the villages he was thinking of no longer existed thanks to him.  
  
He watched in slight bewilderment as Mia seemed to pick up a conversation with this older man, shyly introducing him before running off on a complete tangent about her business and the son they had. He waited, not so patiently, for the conversation to end and looked up as stray water droplets landed on his cheek. At this rate, he would arrive back drenched and after dark, not like he minded. He had walked in the rain many times before, usually after a day of killing.  
  
So caught up in his musing of the past, he nearly didn't catch the man that ran by and knocked him roughly. He ground his teeth together in restrain and forced himself to let the miserable beast continue on his way. However, his attention switched back to his now empty hand, flexing the fingers in thought. "Accursed thieves. They should die, every last one of them." He muttered as his gaze sought out the individual who dared to think that such crimes were allowed against him.  
  
"Yuber?" Mia turned her gaze to the blonde as he looked off down the village path. She had only vaguely heard his words, but noted immediately that the money pouch she had given him to hold was now gone. "Oh...Oh, no! Not again!" She felt an arm around her shoulders as the mayor comforted her. This was not the first time she had been stolen from, and it never got any easier the more that it happened. She looked at Yuber as he set down the supplies he was carrying for her and placed a hand on his arm. "It's okay. They are long gone by now. This isn't the first time, Yuber."  
  
Yuber smirked and chuckled softly. "It will be the last time." His eyes were still on the fool that dared hurt Mia, thinking he was safe now that he was hidden in an alley counting the loot he had stolen. Yuber felt lightning crackle up his left arm, gaze fixed right on the young man, and he held out his left hand as the rune came to life and a bolt of lightning flew down the street, whizzing past innocent bystanders. He snarled angrily when the young man yelped and leapt back into the street, barely avoided the bolt of pure electrical energy. "Hmm, I missed." His gaze locked with the eyes of the young man and summoned forward the True Rune in his gaze. He chuckled when the man scrambled to his feet and ran down the street. He moved to give chase, stopping when Mia's hands grabbed his arm.  
  
"Yuber, please don't do this. It doesn't matter." Mia pleaded softly. She had a feeling that the blonde had no intention of letting this man live.  
  
"He stole from you. That is a crime that is punishable. I will punish him and get back your money." Yuber pulled his arm from Mia's grasp and stalked down the path, which everyone moved away from him. He summoned his blade from Mia's house, swinging it as he teleported to where he knew that young man was, stopping when he found himself looking into blood red orbs that twinkled with blood-lust. He looked down at the dismembered body at Natas' feet and chuckled when he found a money pouch in his hand again.  
  
"I believe we ended in a tie last time, dear friend. I plan to win this time." Natas walked from the alley into the main street, looking around at the people staring at him. He snapped his fingers and chuckled when several houses exploded in fire, sending the streets into complete and utter panic. He glanced back at Yuber who looked to be contemplating how to react. "Everyone but your woman is fair game."  
  
Yuber took a deep long breath and slowly nodded. "I am not human. I am above all mortals so I do not care what any mortal thinks of me. They are all puppets to my whims." He forced to words out and chewed on them for a few minutes before looking up at Natas a smirking cruelly.  
  
Natas nodded and chuckled. "Let this village be our playground!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Gahhh! I did it again! Noooooo! looks at the computer and pounds on the screen Why won't you end!? End! Eeeennnnnddddd!  
  
I am so sorry! I promised it would end this chapter and look now, I have to write another why. I get the feeling that I don't want to end this fic...sigh But, next time! Next time, I really promise that the chapter is the next one. I guess I must have flittle-farted around in this chapter. Let's hope the next battle scene will be a good one!  
  
Thanks to everyone who took the time to read and review. I really appreciate it! 


	15. All Dreams must End

Disclaimer: In no way do I claim any rights to the characters of the Suikoden series. I do not own them, nor did I have any hand in creating them. Please don't sue as I don't have any money and just want to write a fanfic.  
  
Only in Dreams  
  
By: Chibi Nataku  
  
Author's Note: Speech that starts with ' instead of " means mental talking. If a conversation is going on between Yuber and the Rune, it is purely in his mind, and assume that no one else is aware of the conversation, but can see any emotion that is displayed openly by the Rune-bearer.  
  
This author is just wondering if anyone is interested in a sequel of this part of the fic, taking on the greater challenge of investigating Yuber as he wanders into Windy's control and how he managed to fall under a spell that allowed only those who came across a spell to summon him afterwards. Any takers? If so, just let me know by either saying so in a review or emailing me directly at 'Nataku_NinjaofDestiny@hotmail.com' I would be very interested in a sequel if other people are, mostly because I already have some strange ideas.  
  
Chapter 14 - All Dreams Must End  
  
The Final Chapter (I promise)  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
'Kill them! Make them bleed! Let us hear their pitiful screams until the blood red sun rises! Hahahaha! Kill them all!' Eight eyes watched in overjoyed wonder as blood splashed back on Yuber's face, the bittersweet tang of metallic blood driving the spider to voice its excitement at the chaos that flowed from the pure terror of innocence. It had been much too long since it had felt to weakness of mortals, the cold sweat of fear as a sword cut through flesh, the feel of the cool rain clashing with the warm splash of blood. It loved every moment of massive chaos, so much so that it managed to ignore the odd flash of silver as Natas dipped in and out of the blonde's vision.  
  
It laughed as it released some of its power so that Yuber's arm crackled with black strings of energy, lashing out at any poor creature that came in close enough range. In moments such as these, the True Rune and the blonde's minds seemly merged together, the joy of the kill all too much for one man's senses to take in. It had just as much control of a kill as Yuber had, not wanting to lose to Natas any day. Yet, its gazed fixed on something so wonderful that even the blonde seemed drawn to look as well, but only after some time of looking around for his next victim.  
  
The Eightfold Rune watched, its murmurs of excitement called to an immediate halt as all eight of its eyes focused on the one object that stood in its way, the last element of true freedom. It merely watched in silent appreciation as the ebony-haired woman stood motionless, watching Yuber as he moved from one victim to the next.  
  
It noted that the woman's hair looked much more beautiful when wet, stray locks clinging to her body as the rain continued to fall, as if the tears that slipped from those shifting emerald eyes were the very tears that fell from the heavens. Her clothing clung to an equally beautiful frame, expressing every hidden contour, every curve, and every muscle. It thought that she looked so much younger standing with shaking knees as people raced passed her in panic. It could almost smile as the light of the burning houses seemed to illuminate her frame with a halo of light, every particle dancing over the rain drops that streaked down her body and pranced through every warm salty tear. To the spider, she was magnificent, but to Yuber, it knew that she was a goddess.  
  
Power crackled over its body as it felt the woman's fate call to it, a last stand-off with the forces of Fate. It pulled back silently, eight eyes glowing as it took in the woman, memorized every aspect of her features, wanting to remember this moment more so than any other. This night would bring about its greatest achievements, the creation of the ultimate being. And tonight, it refused to lose. There was no turning away from this final struggle. It would reign supreme.  
  
'Tonight, my darling. You shall bless this ultimate creation with your sweet blood. Tonight, I shall count your last breaths to ascension....'  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Perhaps she had been much to quick to fall back on the fact that Yuber was still the boy that she had raised all those years ago, or perhaps she still denied what she already knew deep down. All those nights of wondering if he would ever return, the tales of a mysterious blonde who held nothing back in a war, the endless sighs and speeches that he would return to her when he was ready to take up a settled life. In more ways than one, she had always known what he was.  
  
No matter how the years went by, he was different. She had always known that many children kept behind their mother's when he passed, that strange events would always follow him around no matter how many places they traveled to. The sudden deaths of sheep when he was in a black mood, the curdling of milk when his temper flared, the strange dreams that would make him sweat blood, and even the way his laughter would startle any well trained animal into a sudden panic. She had always seen how different he was, but she had refused to let anyone take him for anything that he was, that he just needed a little extra coaching to get him for learn anything other than fighting and make some friends.  
  
And as she stood in the very position that he had left her side from, Mia watched as Yuber seemed to find his true element, sword swinging with absolute elegance and power. No creature he hit survived passed the first strike unless he wished it so. His hair clung to his body as the rain continued to fall, yet none of the drops ever seemed to touch his flesh, as if too frightened by his presence. His seemly loose clothing moved with every muscle in his body, hiding all the controlled potency yet revealing everything with each swing as hell itself was unleashed in a small fraction of time when Yuber arced the blade with deadly accuracy. His liquid movements were more entrancing to her than a snake the moment before it struck out to strike with poison. Mia thought that he looked very inhuman, almost as if he had never begun his life as one except for the shell that masked his true intentions as he grew aware of his surroundings. For her, it was like looking a god in the face yet never realizing it until he was long gone after the encounter.  
  
She was vaguely aware of the screams, of the deadly partner that stood all too close to her yet refused to strike, of how her son must have been so frightened, but most of her thoughts remained transfixed on every sing of the blade that Yuber swung. Every one of his movements, even the slightest shift of his eyes, were noted by her almost sluggish brain. She knew in the back of her mind that she should run and hide away from the truth of her lover, but she felt much too inclined to remain by him and watch him show her just what he really could do with himself. Despite the memories of her own share of war, she found him absolutely beautiful. Perhaps seeing Yuber in his element made everything of the past slip into place, all the cracked pieces that refused to make sense just fell glued together to form a whole picture.  
  
Still, the mud that splashed up on her apron brought her mind to the screams around her and she was suddenly, more than ever, aware that she was staring Yuber down. He stood just down the road from her, blood and rain streaming down his features that stared back at her with absolute stillness, as if he were searching her for something. It was then that she truly knew that this stare down was a final battle between the two of them, that if he won she would die, and if she won, he would disappear. It was the first time that she felt confused and a bit fearful of what actions she should take against her lover.  
  
"Yuber...?" She whispered to the crackle of the flames over head, all too aware of the distance screams that were dying all too quickly. Suddenly, it was just her and Yuber standing in the street, though she was again vaguely aware of another presence nearby, lurking in the shadows just out of her sight, obviously intent on watching this scene play out.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Yuber waited silently, his nerves screaming at him that he should have never let himself go like this in front of Mia. The sword in his hand was as light as ever and still singing with the blood of his victims, its tip pointed towards the ground as he forced himself to take a heavy step forward. It was then that he realized just how much taller he was than Mia, that he literally towered over her small frame even from a distance.  
  
Still, he forced his body towards her, each step a task of will just to bring himself closer, to look down at her as if they were meeting on the street in a normal evening in the rain. He could detect no fear from his lover, and it took all of his nerve to keep his gaze locked on her intense emerald green orbs. He was all too aware of his discomfort, though a part of himself scoffed at his obvious cowardice when he had just mercilessly butchered an entire village. The heat from the burning houses seemed much too hot even from the distance that he was at, and the mud beneath his boots made too much noise as it squished out. Yet, he forced himself to approach, but those moments seemed like the longest minutes of his life.  
  
Eventually, he found himself inches away from Mia, looking down at her almost intently. He felt more than a little awkward standing with blood and rain running down his clothing. Despite his discomfort, he felt himself leaning down towards her as an almost instinctually reaction to her presence. He felt his lips brush against her cheek, tasting the rain that streaked her features, surprised when she turned her face to meet his lips, their first kiss since his return to her side. He forced the embrace to remain simple before finally tearing himself away from her, his gaze slipping from side to side as a scream ripped through the air all too closely; he smiled as his gaze landed on Natas who had stepped from the shadows and impaled an axe-wielding teenager, obviously trying to seek up on him.  
  
"The whelp was trying to ruin the romantic atmosphere." Natas smirked and gestured at the burning village, the smell of fresh death, and screams of the dying. "I'll be sure to keep the intruders away while you have a little moment with your woman." As if to insinuate his point, Natas gestured vaguely at the building behind him, easing back into the shadows when the wood erupted into flames.  
  
Yuber chuckled softly and turned his gaze back to Mia, forcing himself to take a step away in case his desire to hold her took him over. His gaze swept over the burning village in one smooth motion, tilting his head back to smell the metallic bitterness of the blood, smiling as the crackling of flames reached his ears. It was all a mix that made him raise his arms to feel the coolness of rain against his exposed heated skin, sighing as a gentle breeze brushed against him, all the elements coming together in unison to greet him as the clouds pulled away to expose the brightly twinkling stars.  
  
Slowly, he came back to himself and looked down at Mia, their gazes meeting. He smiled warmly and gently touched her cheek with his fingers, leaving a thin line of blood that was quickly washed away by the ever present rain. "I guess this is good-bye, Mia. You know I won't stay, and you deserve much better." He snorted silently when he realized just how human he sounded.  
  
"I know." Mia slowly nodded her head, gaze moving to her muddy feet. "Just as you know that I would follow you to whatever end lay at your feet. I know that you have thrown off the strings of fate that guide everyone else." She shifted her footing nervously as she felt Yuber's cold gaze on her. "The stars show many things about you, possibly things that not even you know. I have seen what lies ahead of you and my brother. I know that you were never mine to have and hold, but I still dreamed of the short time that we did despite our conflicting futures." She lifted her face to look at him in the eye, a sweet smile warming her features.  
  
"Mia, what are you trying to say?" Yuber cocked his head to the side as his sword suddenly felt very heavy in his hand, almost heavy enough to slip from his moist grasp. He searched her face for any sign of what the stars had shown her that he was unable to see.  
  
Mia sighed and leaned closer to the blonde, resting her cheek on his chest. "No matter what happens between us, I will always love you. I will cross all boundaries of space and time to be with you. It is because I love you that I have written my diary for others to find." She pulled away when one of his hands gently touched one of her shoulders. Her smile was ever-lasting. "Remember that you are always loved."  
  
Yuber took a step away from his lover, feeling more than a little confused but below that, he felt dizzy. He took a few more steps away from her, stopping when he knew that the next step would bring him to his knees if he attempted. So he remained silent, holding his spinning world with one hand, trying to rid his gaze of the creeping black edges that threatened his consciousness. He felt angered at his bodies sudden weakness, fighting it back as if it were an enemy to kill until he felt control return to him, yet in some ways, it did not entirely feel like all his control.  
  
Slowly, he felt a greater weight settle over his mind like a thick blanket, a haze that he was forced to squint his eyes just to see through. In those moments as he looked at his lover, he saw a woman who looked much too different to be Mia, yet all the same, the similarities were uncanny. The woman stared back at him with saddened eyes, full of memory of both the past and the future, almost as if.... 'No!'  
  
Before he could wrench himself away and flee, he was already moving to close the distance between them, hysterical laughter ringing to every corner of his mind as his blue eyes shifted to golden red, sword arcing above his head as his gaze traced the path of his future blow. His merciless gaze locked with the understanding green one of his lover and the smile that crossed her lips was like a bitter, cold slap across his face. His sword came down with such ease that he was stunned by his sudden burst of humanness as his other hand lifted to grab hold of his wrist and prevent the blow from occurring. He found a battle between separate halves of himself rage forward as he struggled to hold his blade from hitting its intended mark.  
  
The confusion that passed over Mia's face forced him to turn his back to her, one hand still fighting with the other as his human side battled fiercely with his merciless one. His shoulders shook with effort as he felt his humanity slipping away from him, a last desperate plea to hold on to what he knew was already gone from him. "Mia! Run! Get away from me!" He shook his head wildly as he found the Eightfold Rune aid offset the battle to destroy his last shreds of humanity.  
  
"Yu...ber?!" Mia took a step back as she watched at the blonde's eyes shifted between blue and increasing red as he appeared to be battling himself. She reached a tentative hand towards him, pulling it back as he let out a groan of pain. She took a tentative step back, much too confused to leave Yuber groaning in the rain on his own, so she waited for him to react to her presence silently, tracing the rain that streaked his hair a deep gold. When his shoulders settled into relaxation, she took a weary step forward. "Yuber?"  
  
A blade sung in the thick air with more speed and venomous intent than was really necessary. Yuber was not even sure himself if he had hit his mark until his lover's shocked scream of his name made him turn to regard her. His gaze traced the deep wound, from her hip to her left shoulder.  
  
His crooked grin only increased the insane look in his red eyes as an explosion of black energy leapt from him in a sonic wave, snuffing out any fire and knocking any surviving villagers to the ground as well as some of the unstable houses. Within the same instance that Yuber stepped over his shredded humanity, his black armour was summoned around his body and the fully ascended demon took his first step forward, a tremor of his power shaking the very earth. Yet, as his gaze crawled over the quickly dying woman at his feet, Yuber felt something much less maniacal grab at part of his mind and shake it violently.  
  
'Immortality, power, death, chaos...all these things are mine for the taking.' He bent to look more closely at Mia who struggled to keep her eyes open, reaching a armoured hand to stroke her cheek almost tenderly. Before he could really stop himself, his fingers dipped down to run over her wound, chuckling softly as she gasped in obvious pain. Yet, he released his hold on his blade and wrapped gentle arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a seated position for an intended hug, but he felt a sudden change of heart and just snapped her neck, letting her now limp body fall back to the mudded ground as he climbed to his feet. He flexed his hand and felt his sword return to his grip, and in a complete kaleidoscope of emotion, he let everything go as he tore her body apart.  
  
Perhaps time passed by him as he stood silent over the remains of his lover's body, rain trailing paths down his deep black armour. Yet, no matter how much time past, he remained still and quiet, almost frozen in one pose. He was unaware of anything but his own mixture of thoughts that raced down every path of his mind, jumping from one subject to another that made little sense in its connection. Yet, he remained for what was probably a very long time.  
  
Eventually, he became aware that he was not alone, that another stood beside him, remaining as silent as he was. His mind was so clouded that he really couldn't recognize the feeling of the other, aside from the fact that they did not appear to be a threat to him. So, he continued to stand silently.  
  
Natas sighed heavily as the rain only seemed to increase the longer he watched Yuber stand silently, finally giving in to walk over to his friend. His gaze traveled over the massacre that he was witnessed, not concentrating on anything except the power and technique that had been used to complete such a vile act. Again, a long breath escaped his lips as he finally turned to regard the blonde, cocking his head to the side when he could not make out any real features from Yuber. He bit his lip in indecision before finally bending down to look the blonde in the face, nearly falling to the ground in shock at what he found there. As he stood again, he found Yuber's gaze follow him. "You...Your...Yuber?"  
  
"..."  
  
Natas turned away, looking straight ahead again as his mind gathered together all of his thoughts. He finally turned back after a few minutes, if only to confirm what he had seen. Sure enough, he found a pair of mismatched eyes staring right back at him, one demonic and red, the other the same dull blue that lost none of its hardness. He opened his mouth to speak again, to say something that would break the thick silence and make everything between perfectly normal, but it was lost to even him. So, he leaned closer, investigating the changes that he saw, pulling back as his gaze caught of something that he never would have thought on the strong blonde. 'He's ...crying? Yuber...he...' Again, he turned his blood gaze away, piecing facts together until it all made too much sense to him. 'He transcended but something went wrong....He has all the coldness and chaos that he could ever want now, but his now dead humanity shows through in one of his eyes...Why?' His gaze traveled down to Mia. 'She managed to make things go wrong, probably because this world isn't ready for something as powerful as the Shield walking around with a weakened Sword.'  
  
"Natas." A cold voice cut through the tense air around the two Black Knights.  
  
'The Eightfold Rune helped with this. I can feel it. I doubt that it understands what it has done now that it forced a transcention on Yuber. Between the Eightfold Rune's deception and Mia's death, it made things go completely wrong. I have to...help?' Natas felt himself recoil at that thought. 'I don't help anyone but myself. He can deal with this on his own...I think... Maybe...just help this once....'  
  
"Natas." Again, the cold voice sounded, this time significantly more forceful.  
  
Natas slowly turned to regard the blonde, raising his eyes to meet the merciless gaze of his friend. "What is it, Yuber?"  
  
Yuber looked down at the remains of his former lover then back at Natas, gesturing to his cloak wordlessly. His expression remained neutral as the former Black Knight helped him to remove the material from his back, nodding when the silver-haired man handed the deep blue cloak to him. Bending, he gathered up his lover and placed her in his cloak, wrapping the material tightly around her remains as if it were fine china. Climbing back to his feet, his gaze locked with that of Natas. "She had a favourite tree at her house, one that she used to read stories to her child to. I will bury her there, where she would be happy."  
  
Natas followed wordlessly, remaining only a few steps behind Yuber as the blonde did what he set out to do, bury his love. He watched in silence as they stood together around the loose dirt that had been recently dug and filled again. "The strong survive and the weak die. We are strong."  
  
Yuber snorted at the words and turned away, gaze on the ground. "Kill them all. Kill everything. Mortals are useless maggots." A cruel smirk twisted his features as his gaze lifted to meet Natas' neutral one. "Nothing can stop me now. I want to bath in the blood of this world."  
  
"You aren't the Shield, are you? You couldn't do it or else both of your eyes would be demonic, am I right?" Natas asked coldly, watching as the smirk faltered only slightly.  
  
"Well, I knew I kept smart friends for a reason. These eyes are but a minor set back. They are an expression of what was of the past and what will be in the future. I will have my way." Yuber took a few steps away from Natas before stopping and half turning back to the former Black Knight. "If you will not help me, you are obviously too weak."  
  
Natas quirked an unimpressed eyebrow. Silently, he closed the space between himself and Yuber, reaching up to run a finger down the blonde's cheek, rubbing his index and thumb together. "Tears don't suit you, my friend."  
  
Yuber snatched Natas' fingers, grinning as he listened to the sweet snapping of bone beneath his grip. He leaned close to the silver-haired man, releasing his hold on Natas' broken appendages when he received no reaction that the former Black Knight felt any pain at all. "I never cry. I am not weak."  
  
Natas opened his mouth to reply, but Yuber's glare indicated that such actions would not be all wise. Silently, he nodded and turned to leave, stopping when a hand grabbed his arm. He turned slowly to regard the blonde, surprised when Yuber hid his gaze beneath his wet bangs.  
  
"Natas...I killed her. I love her even now, but those feeling are going cold in me. They are going distant, and I can't hear her voice anymore. Soon, I will only be a demon, Natas. Soon, I will grow cold and never feel again." Yuber felt an arm around his shoulders as his last plea of humanity escaped him, only to be swallowed up by the depths of his ascension to never be witnessed again. Only Natas will have seen this lapse of weakness. "Natas, am I evil for what I've done?"  
  
"Not fully, but soon that will change." Natas felt Yuber's power gather and was surprised to be alive after it had dispersed again, finding himself to be back in his cold, gray home. "My master once told me that everyone is evil, some just don't know it yet. You are evil, my friend, now and forever." Natas watched Yuber's mismatched gaze lift to meet his gaze. "But, so am I."  
  
Yuber nodded slowly and smiled cruelly. "This is the first day of a beautiful future."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
I finally finished! Yay! All done this fic, though I'm not too sure that I'm all that happy about how the dead of Mia. I guess I will wait to see what you guys think about it. Please let me know if you like it! That and let me know if you want a sequel.  
  
Thanks to everyone who took the time to read my fic. I really appreciate all the reviews and nice comments about it. I will hopefully be writing again very soon. Hope to see you all again! 


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